Complete Fictional Works of Washington Irving (Illustrated) (208 page)
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Authors: Washington Irving
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO THE END OF THE DUTCH DYNAST
In late 1809, whilst mourning the loss of his seventeen year old fiancée Matilda Hoffman, Irving completed his first major work, with the full title of:
A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty by Diedrich Knickerbocker
. It is an ambitious book, forming a satire on self-important local history and contemporary politics.
Prior to its publication, Irving started a hoax campaign for promotional purposes, placing a series of missing person adverts in New York newspapers seeking information on Diedrich Knickerbocker, a cantankerous Dutch historian that had ‘gone missing’ from his hotel in New York. As part of the ruse, Irving placed a notice from the hotel’s proprietor, informing readers that if Mr. Knickerbocker failed to return to the hotel to pay his bill, he would publish a manuscript he had left behind. Unsuspecting readers followed the story of Knickerbocker and his manuscript with interest, with city officials being concerned enough for the missing historian that they considered offering a reward for his safe return. Due to the publicity created by this hoax,
A History of New York
received immediate critical and popular success with the reading public. Nowadays, the name of Knickerbocker has become a nickname for Manhattan residents in general.
The frontispiece depiction of Diedrich Knickerbocker
