''Tales of a Traveller, by Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' (1824) is a two-volume, four-part (plus an introduction) collection of essays and short stories authored by

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

. He compiled the collection while he was living in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, primarily in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and Paris and published it under his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

, Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.. Notable stories included are " The Adventure of the German Student", " Kidd the Pirate", and " The Devil and Tom Walker".

Reception

Irving thought highly of ''Tales of a Traveller'', saying: "I think there are in it some of the best things I have ever written". He was therefore disappointed by the book's generally poor critical reception. Critic

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

was severe in his critique, saying in ''

American Writers The Lists of American writers include: United States By ethnicity *List of African-American writers *List of Asian American writers, List of Asian-American writers *List of Cuban American writers, List of Cuban-American writers *List of Egypti ...

'': "We hardly know how to speak of this sad affair.... No wonder that people have begun to question his originality". By the early 20th century, critics generally ranked it lower than '' The Sketch Book''.

References

External links

* {{authority control category:1824 short story collections category:books about piracy category:short story collections by Washington Irving category:Treasure Island category:works published under a pseudonym