Knickerbocker's History of New York, Vol. 1: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Knickerbocker's History of New York, Vol. 1, credited to Washington Irving, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Knickerbocker's History of New York, Vol. 1 by Washington Irving. Read by LibriVox Volunteersw Washington Irving, an author, biographer, historian, and diplomat, completed his first major work, a satire of contemporary local history and politics entitled A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker in 1809. Prior to its publication, Irving started a promotional hoax (not unlike some modern-day publicity stunts?) by placing fake missing persons advertisements in local newspapers asking for help in locating Diedrich Knickerbocker. As a continuation of the hoax, Irving also published a notice purported to be written by the proprietor of the hotel where Knickbocker was staying, in which he threatened to publish a manuscript “left behind” by Knickerbocker if the hotel bill was not paid. From “The Author’s Apology”: “The main object of my work, in fact, had a bearing wide from the sober aim of history, but one which, I trust, will meet with some indulgence from poetic minds. It was to embody the traditions of our city in an amusing form; to illustrate its local humors, customs and peculiarities; to clothe home scenes and places and familiar names with those imaginative and whimsical associations so seldom met with in our new country, but which live like charms and spells about the cities of the old world, binding the heart of the native inhabitant to his home.” - (Summary by lubee930 from the text and adapted from Wikipedia)

Recording facts

• Recording title: Knickerbocker's History of New York, Vol. 1
• Author credits: Washington Irving
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 33
• Listed recording duration: 6:59:25

Catalogue topics

• humor
• new york colonial history

Opening tracks: first 24 of 33

1. 01 - Introduction — 7:21
2. 02 - The Author's Apology — 8:05
3. 03 - Notices — 4:15
4. 04 - Account of the Author — 20:02
5. 05 - To the Public — 12:08
6. 06 - Book I, Chapter I — 13:52
7. 07 - Book I, Chapter II — 17:36
8. 08 - Book I, Chapter III — 12:57
9. 09 - Book I, Chapter IV — 14:16
10. 10 - Book I, Chapter V — 31:39
11. 11 - Book II, Chapter I — 21:50
12. 12 - Book II, Chapter II — 12:55
13. 13 - Book II, Chapter III — 14:54
14. 14 - Book II, Chapter IV — 23:16
15. 15 - Book II, Chapter V — 9:38
16. 16 - Book II, Chapter VI — 5:07
17. 17 - Book II, Chapter VII — 5:44
18. 18 - Book II, Chapter VIII — 10:56
19. 19 - Book II, Chapter IX — 11:45
20. 20 - Book III, Chapter I — 17:56
21. 21 - Book III, Chapter II — 18:09
22. 22 - Book III, Chapter III — 13:36
23. 23 - Book III, Chapter IV — 11:32
24. 24 - Book III, Chapter V — 6:31

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.