《征服格拉纳达》是美国文学之父华盛顿·欧文的一部重要著作。从“征服”二字，读者不难知道这是关于战争的历史故事。而这场战争，是不能、也不应该忘记的，它像世界上其他的重大战争一样，极大地影响着人类的发展进程。了解它们，对于我们今天和今后的发展，必然会产生有益的作用。这便是历史所具有的积极意义，当然这个意义需要我们去总结和分析。而欧文写的这段战争历史，是通过讲故事的方式传达给读者的，这就使作品显得更加生动，有了更加广泛的读者对象——从而使这场战争的历史为更多人所熟悉。加之欧文又是一位著名的小说家，讲故事的能手，因此《征服格拉纳达》便更显示出了文学的光彩和魅力。

You are probably familiar with the popularized stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but have you read the original unabridged versions by Washington Irving? His skillfully written and colorful tales have much more meaning and depth. In Rip Van Winkle he makes a profound social comment about the changes happening in his America, and Sleepy Hollow isn't just a chilling tale about the Headless Horseman but an enchanting story about two rival suitors.
Equally enjoyable tales of suspense and supernatural included in this collection are: The Spectre Bridegroom, The Adventure of the German Student, The Devil and Tom Walker, The Adventure of the Mason, Legend of the Rose of Alhambra, The Governor and the Notary, and Governor Manco and the Soldier.
This collection will demonstrate just why Washington Irving is widely recognized as the "Father of American Literature.

The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite specter of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard. The story was immediately matched by a thrice marvelous adventure of Brom Bones, who made light of the Galloping Hessian as an arrant jockey. He affirmed that on returning one night from the neighboring village of Sing Sing, he had been overtaken by this midnight trooper; that he had offered to race with him for a bowl of punch, and should have won it too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all hollow, but just as they came to the church bridge, the Hessian bolted, and vanished in a flash of fire. All these tales, told in that drowsy undertone with which men talk in the dark, the countenances of the listeners only now and then receiving a casual gleam from the glare of a pipe, sank deep in the mind of Ichabod. . . .

Poor Rip Van Winkle is married to a
terrible nag of a woman and never seems
to be able to do anything right. His only
peace comes when he heads into the
Catskill Mountains on his own to do a bit
of hunting or fishing. One day, during just
such a trip, he meets a strange man
carrying a keg of liquor and is tempted
to taste just a little of it. He falls asleep
and when he awakens again, the world
is inexplicably different from the one he
left behind.
What has become of his wife, his children
and his trusty dog? Why does no one in
the village recognize h m? This classic
tale is an amusing and thought-provoking
read.

The library of America is dedicated to publishing America's best and most significant writing in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts. Hailed as the "finest-looking, longest-lasting editions ever made" (The New Republic), Library of America volumes make a fine gift for any occasion. Now, with exactly one hundred volumes to choose from, there is a perfect gift for everyone.

《华盛顿大传》介绍了乔治，华盛顿出生于弗吉尼亚的一个大种植园奴隶主家庭，从小受到了良好的文化教育，富有开拓精神。早年他做过土地测量员，后来参加了7年战争，积累了丰富的军事指挥经验，获中校和上校军衔。1774年和1775年，乔治•华盛顿先后作为弗吉尼亚议会的代表出席了第一、二届大陆会议。美国独立战争期间他出任了大陆军总司令，在此期间，他把一支主要由地方民兵组成的队伍整编、锻炼成为了一支能与英军相抗衡的正规军，并带领军队击败英军，取得了北美独立战争的胜利。美国独立后，他连续出任了两届美国总统。在其第二届任期将满时，他发表告别词，表示不会再连任，这便开创了美国历史上摒弃终身总统制、和平转移权力的范例。1799年12月14日，乔治，华盛顿病逝在弗吉尼亚的家中。因其对美国独立作出了极其卓越的贡献，他被尊为“美国国父”。

With these words, Washington Irving expresses the dilemma of every American artist in the nineteenth century. The Sketch-Book (1820-1) looks simultaneously towards audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, as Irving explores the uneasy relationship of an American writer to English literary traditions. He sketches a series of encounters with the cultural shrines of the parent nation, and in two brilliant experiments with tales transplanted from Europe creates the first classic American short stories, 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow'. The result was not only a hugely successful travel book; it exerted a strong formative influence on American writers from Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe to Henry James, and is well worth rediscovery in its own right today. Based on Irving's final revision of his most popular work, this new edition includes comprehensive explanatory notes of The Sketch-Book's sources for the modern reader. In her introduction, Susan Manning suggests that the author forged a new idiom, the 'Literary Picturesque', to accommodate and turn to advantage his dilemma of dual literary allegiances.

در مجموعه‌ی انتخاب پریان بر آثار کوتاه و بلند فانتزی و علمی تخیلی متمرکز شده‌ایم و قصد داریم آثار شاخص این دو ژانر و زیرشاخه‌های آن‌ها را عرضه کنیم. معیارمان در این آثار، فقط پرفروش بودن یا جایزه بردن آن‌ها نبوده است، بلکه آثاری را انتخاب کرده‌ایم که خواندنشان برای شناخت بیش‌تر این دو ژانر لازم تلقی شده است. این آثار انتخاب ماست؛ انتخاب پریان، ولی از شنیدن نظرات اهل فن برای پربارتر شدن مجموعه استقبال می‌کنیم.

Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher, came to Tarry Town in the glen of Sleepy Hollow to ply his trade in educating young minds. He was a gullible and excitable fellow, often so terrified by locals' stories of ghosts that he would hurry through the woods on his way home, singing to keep from hysterics. Until late one night, he finds that maybe they're not just stories. What is that dark, menacing figure riding behind him on a horse? And what does it have in its hands? And why wasn't schoolteacher Crane ever seen in Sleepy Hollow again?

This classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman has been beloved for generations. In this edition, readers can enjoy Washington Irving's original story as it appeared in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. An essential addition to any library of American literature.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.