Editing Washington Irving (section)

===First major writings===
[[File:Matilda Hoffman (1791 - 1809) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Matilda Hoffman, portrait by [[Anson Dickinson]]]]
Irving returned from Europe to study law with his legal mentor Judge [[Josiah Ogden Hoffman]] in New York City. By his own admission, he was not a good student and barely passed the bar examination in 1806.<ref>Washington Irving to Mrs. Amelia Foster, [April–May 1823], ''Works'', 23:740-41. See also PMI, 1:173, Williams, 1:77, ''et al''.</ref> He began socializing with a group of literate young men whom he dubbed "The Lads of Kilkenny",<ref>Burstein, 47.</ref> and he created the literary magazine ''[[Salmagundi (periodical)|Salmagundi]]'' in January 1807 with his brother William and his friend James Kirke Paulding, writing under various pseudonyms, such as William Wizard and Launcelot Langstaff. Irving lampooned New York culture and politics in a manner similar to the 20th century [[Mad (magazine)|''Mad'']] magazine.<ref>Jones, 82.</ref> ''Salmagundi'' was a moderate success, spreading Irving's name and reputation beyond New York. He gave New York City the nickname "Gotham" in its 17th issue dated November 11, 1807, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "Goat's Town".<ref>Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace. ''Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898''. (Oxford University Press, 1999), 417. See Jones, 74–75.</ref>

[[File:Diedrich Knickerbocker.jpg|thumb|right|The fictional "Diedrich Knickerbocker" from the frontispiece of ''[[A History of New York]]'', a wash drawing by [[F.O.C. Darley|Felix O. C. Darley]]]]
[[File:Portrait of Washington Irving by John Wesley Jarvis in 1809.jpg|thumb|right|Portrait of Washington Irving by [[John Wesley Jarvis]] from 1809]]

{{anchor|A History of New York}}
Irving completed ''[[A History of New York|A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker]]'' (1809) while mourning the death of his 17-year-old fiancée Matilda Hoffman. It was his first major book and a satire on self-important local history and contemporary politics. Before its publication, Irving started a hoax by placing a series of missing person advertisements in the [[New York Evening Post]] seeking information on [[Diedrich Knickerbocker]], a crusty Dutch historian who had allegedly gone missing from his hotel in New York City. As part of the ruse, he placed a notice from the hotel's proprietor informing readers that, if Mr. Knickerbocker failed to return to the hotel to pay his bill, he would publish a manuscript that Knickerbocker had left behind.<ref>Jones, 118-27.</ref>

Unsuspecting readers followed the story of Knickerbocker and his manuscript with interest, and some New York city officials were concerned enough about the missing historian to offer a reward for his safe return. Irving then published ''A History of New York'' on December 6, 1809, under the Knickerbocker pseudonym, with immediate critical and popular success.<ref>Burstein, 72.</ref> "It took with the public", Irving remarked, "and gave me celebrity, as an original work was something remarkable and uncommon in America".<ref>Washington Irving to Mrs. Amelia Foster, [April–May 1823], ''Works'', 23:741.</ref> The name Diedrich Knickerbocker became a nickname for Manhattan residents in general and was adopted by the [[New York Knicks|New York Knickerbockers]] basketball team.<ref>{{cite news|work=Oxford English Dictionary|title=Knickerbocker}}</ref>

After the success of ''A History of New York'', Irving searched for a job and eventually became an editor of ''[[Analectic Magazine]]'', where he wrote biographies of naval heroes such as [[James Lawrence]] and [[Oliver Hazard Perry]].<ref>Hellman, 82.</ref> He was also among the first magazine editors to reprint [[Francis Scott Key]]'s poem "Defense of [[Fort McHenry]]", which was immortalized as "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]".<ref>Jones, 121–22.</ref> Irving initially opposed the [[War of 1812]] like many other merchants, but the [[Burning of Washington|British attack on Washington, D.C.]], in 1814 convinced him to enlist.<ref>Jones, 121.</ref> He served on the staff of [[Daniel Tompkins]], governor of New York and commander of the New York State Militia, but he saw no real action apart from a reconnaissance mission in the Great Lakes region.<ref>Jones, 122.</ref> The war was disastrous for many American merchants, including Irving's family, and he left for England in mid-1815 to salvage the family trading company.  He remained in Europe for the next 17 years.<ref>Hellman, 87.</ref>