Washington Irving was the first American literary artist to earn his living solely through his writings and is considered to be the Father of the American Short Story. A collection of tales written after visits to Germany and France, was largely considered a failure. The Tales includes: A Hunting Dinner The Adventure of My Uncle The Adventure of My Aunt The Bold Dragoon The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture The Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger The Story of the Young Italian Buckthorne and his friends A Literary Dinner The Club of Queer Fellows The Poor Devil Author