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IRVING, Washington (1783-1859). Autograph letter signed ('Washington Irving') to Mr Stanhope, Madrid, n.d., [1827], offering the chance of 'a coach with six mules to go through Aranjuez to Toledo & return for thirty-two dollars. If you have not made a bargain with any other you may find it advisable perhaps to arrange with this one. He may perhaps be induced to take less, though he has already come down from forty dollars', 2 pages, 8vo, address panel.
His Spanish journey marked a crucial turning point for Irving. Bruised by the reception of his recent fiction in America, he went to Madrid simply for a respite, planning to translate some Christopher Columbus letters to earn his keep. The project inspired him to write an English-language biography of the navigator, The History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, which proved a great success. Thereafter he devoted most of his literary labours to writing history instead of fiction.
His Spanish journey marked a crucial turning point for Irving. Bruised by the reception of his recent fiction in America, he went to Madrid simply for a respite, planning to translate some Christopher Columbus letters to earn his keep. The project inspired him to write an English-language biography of the navigator, The History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, which proved a great success. Thereafter he devoted most of his literary labours to writing history instead of fiction.
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