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The Washington Irving Library

The Washington Irving Library

Written by: Washington Irving
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About this listen

 Welcome, kind listener, to The Washington Irving Library - a quiet corner of the modern world where old tales wander freely once more. Here are gathered the sketches, legends, and curious histories of America’s earliest storyteller, read in full and unhurried, as though beside a hearth on an autumn evening.

From the misty hollows of the Hudson Valley to the rambling pages of forgotten journals, each episode invites you to linger awhile in the company of dreamers, schoolmasters, travellers, and ghosts both merry and melancholy. This library stands ever open, its lamp lit, its pages turning, and its stories ready to be heard anew.Public domain
Episodes
  • Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VIII

    Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VIII
    May 4 2026
    In which the valiant Peter Stuyvesant fortifies New Amsterdam against the brawling border towns, whose quarrels are dampened by the principled refusal of Massachusetts and the ominous outbreak of witchcraft in New England, stirring a fearful and relentless panic. The narrative unfolds with a keen eye on the curious customs and stringent justice meted out to the supposed witches, revealing both the credulity and the severity of the times in this peculiar and sombre affair.
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    10 mins
  • Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VII

    Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VII
    May 4 2026
    In which a tempest brews against the Dutch city of New Amsterdam, stirred by fiery orators and ecclesiastical zeal, whilst Peter Stuyvesant girds his people with fortifications and martial lessons, amusing himself with the quirks of militia life. Thus is born the famed Battery, a place of stern defence transformed into a tranquil haven for love, leisure, and the gentle passage of time.
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    9 mins
  • Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VI

    Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VI
    May 3 2026
    In which the indomitable Peter Stuyvesant faces a cool and calculated investigation by shrewd Yankee commissioners, whose methods blend officiousness with cunning to entangle him in political intrigue. Though he meets their intrusion with haughty disdain and shuts his door against their interrogations, their persistent quest for evidence stirs whispers and suspicion through the city.
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    5 mins
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