In this episode, we explore the life of Washington Irving, the first American writer to earn international acclaim and the first to make a living solely by his pen. From the Hudson Valley to the palaces of Spain, we trace the journey of the man who gave us "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," "Rip Van Winkle," and the nickname "Gotham" for New York City.

Episode Highlights:

• The Man of Many Names: We discuss Irving’s early satirical work under pseudonyms like Jonathan Oldstyle and the fictional Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker, a character that sparked a literary hoax and eventually inspired the name of the New York Knicks.

• Literary Stardom: How a business bankruptcy led Irving to write The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., which became an immediate success in b ...