Tales of the Alhambra

Washington Irving (1783-1859) was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. Best known for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle," Irving served as the U.S. minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846 and wrote several histories of 15th-century Spain dealing with Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra.