1824. 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 four parts of Tales include: Strange Stories by a Nervous Gentlemen; Buckthorne and His Friends; The Italian Banditti; and The Money-Diggers. See other Irving titles available from Kessinger Publishing.