Could the date be 1809 and not 1807?

I have a copy of the book Knickerbocker's New York From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty by Washington Irving.
It is said to be the first of American humor in writing.  Published in 1809.  In the front of the book it tells the story about the account of the author, Diedrich Knickerbocker who left the manuscript at a hotel in 1808. This is Irvings made up character with a made up name. (He says Diedrich translates  to "father" and Knickerbocker meant "to nod over books") His character Knickerbocker seemed to hop all over the state collecting dutch history. The hotel owner had it published to pay Knickerbocker's debt, because he had left and not come back.  It became popular and the author caught wind of it while he was in Albany and eventually returned to New York.  So he got some literary fame and was asked to write essays on all subjects.  Irving tells this story in one chapter then goes on to do the history.
Anyway, Irving mixes facts and made up stuff for the history, which is why it was satirical.  When I bought it, I knew nothing about it.  It took me a while to realize it was a jokingly done.
I have seen the Knickerbocker name after that and later read somewhere that some people had taken it for real at the time, and NYers used "Knickerbocker" as a word to mean there family had been there for a long time. Like the best of the best.
So since Irving was in NYC when he wrote that (I think) maybe your newspaper or printer is there?
I looked in a book I have called "What Happened When" which said in 1820 the DiKnickerbocker Group was formed and was a school of writers with similar literary tastes who followed Irvings literary style and spirit.  One of the authors being William Cullen Bryant. Those authors all hung together didn't they? Like Emerson?

--
Cindy Amrhein
Town of Alabama Historian
in Genesee Co., NY
Experience the Town of Alabama in Genesee County, NY.
http://www2.pcom.net/cinjod/historian/
APHNYS (Association of Public Historians of New York State)
http://www.tier.net/aphnys



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