THE DEVIL AND TOM WALKER
BY WASHINGTON IRVING
Washington Irving (1783-1859) is best remembered for
his humorous works, such as “Rip Van Winkle,” but he
also wrote historical accounts and biographies.
Though born and raised in America, Irving spent
much of his adulthood in Europe, even serving as U.S.
Ambassador to Spain. Many of his works show this
European influence. “The Devil and Tom Walker,” for
example, owes much to German author Goethe’s
tragedy Faust.