13 h 34 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
An old palace holds poor families, haunted towers, and stories of treasure beneath its faded splendor.
In The Alhambra, Washington Irving takes you from the road to Granada into the rooms of its old Moorish palace. He lives there as a guest, among soldiers and poor families. With the proud guide Mateo Ximenes and the household of Dame Antonia, he discovers daily life within walls once home to rulers.
Palace sketches mingle with legends gathered from guides, neighbors, and old chronicles. In the Legend of the Arabian Astrologer, King Aben Habuz seeks safety from his enemies. In the Moor's Legacy, the poor water carrier Peregil is drawn toward hidden treasure. Around these tales, Irving explores courts, fountains, and towers with humor and affection.
What you’ll discover
- The road to Granada Ride across wild Andalusia with Irving, his companion, a guide, and an armed escort.
- Life behind palace walls Meet Dame Antonia and Dolores, whose modest household brings warmth to the old royal rooms.
- Stone lions and fountains Wander through the Court of the Lions, where slender columns frame a striking fountain.
- Enchantment and human weakness Discover astrologers, enchanted princesses, and buried treasure in tales told with gentle humor.
- Beauty under time's shadow See how a half-ruined palace prompts Irving to reflect on passing power and beauty.
Who will love it
For readers who love travel writing, old legends and gentle humor, and anyone who plans to visit Granada or loves Spanish history.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A traveler rides toward Granada
- Life among the palace's poor tenants
- The halls, towers and gardens of the Moors
- Legends of astrologers, princesses and treasure
- What lies beneath the legends
- How Irving tells it and why it lasted
Who’s who
- Washington IrvingThe American writer who lives in the palace as a guest, listens to its stories and tells them with humor and affection.
- Mateo XimenesA palace native who calls himself the son of the Alhambra, serves as Irving's guide and is proud of knowing everything about it.
- Dame AntoniaAn elderly tenant who looks after Irving's rooms and keeps a modest home in the palace with her family.
- DoloresDame Antonia's niece, a young woman of the palace household who brings cheer to Irving's daily life.
- Aben HabuzA Moorish king in the Astrologer legend who wants peace and safety, and who is tempted to ask for more than he should.
- PeregilA poor water carrier in the Moor's Legacy tale who hopes to better his fortune and is drawn toward hidden treasure.
- BoabdilThe last Moorish king of Granada, whose sad reign and loss of the city shadow the history Irving recounts.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 13 h 34 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Alhambra in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Alhambra
by Washington Irving · 1832
In Granada's palace, Irving gathers tales of enchanted princesses and hidden treasure, where greed and love shape fate.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A traveler rides toward Granada
The book begins on the road. Irving sets out from Seville with a companion, and the two ride across a hard, wild stretch of Andalusia on horseback, with a guide and an armed escort. The roads are poor, the inns are bare, and bandits are a real talk of the day. Irving treats all this lightly, and he enjoys the muleteers, the wayside songs and the strange bare mountains.
He is already thinking about the Moors. For nearly eight hundred years Muslim rulers held much of Spain, and Granada was the last of their kingdoms. It fell to the Spanish crown in 1492. Irving knows this story from the chronicles, and every ruined tower he passes adds to his sense that he is riding through a vanished world.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Alhambra
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Alhambra by Washington Irving about?
It describes Irving's stay in the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, in 1829. It mixes travel sketches, history and local legends about Moorish kings, princesses, astrologers and hidden treasure.
Is The Alhambra a true story?
Partly. The travel sketches draw on Irving's real visit, published in 1832. The legends are folk tales and traditions, which he retells with his own touches, so they are not history.
Who is Mateo Ximenes in The Alhambra?
Mateo Ximenes is a local guide who calls himself the son of the Alhambra, because his family has lived in the palace for generations. He tells Irving much of what he learns about the place.
The author
Washington Irving
1783–1859 · American writer and historian
Washington Irving (1783–1859) was an American writer, historian and diplomat. He was born in New York City and died in Tarrytown, New York. He also lived in Britain and Spain. He published The Sketch Book in 1819–1820 and The Alhambra in 1832. He served as American minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.
More by Washington Irving
All 8 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in short stories
See all
Free
Free
Free
