The House of the Three Ganders

by Irving Bacheller

The basis for the plot of this masterful and ingenious story of country people is the record of a trial famous in the legal annals of New York state. The amazing developments that stirred the tranquil little village of Amity Dam have rarely been matched as a proof of the adage about fact and fiction.

But transcending the sheer fascination of the plot itself is the rich and poignant humanity of the story. Old Bumpy Brown with his wooden leg hollowed out to hold liquid fire for cheer on his journeys, and Shad Morryson, his young friend who inherits Bonaparte blood are principal characters, but many others are drawn in to activate a moving drama of a humble man's fight for his life against bewildering odds.

The countless readers who have followed Irving Bacheller through the years and the new readers who are turning to him today will find that his been has lost none of its old magic in "The House of Three Ganders."

315 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1928

About the author

Addison Irving Bacheller was an American journalist and writer who founded the first modern newspaper syndicate in the United States.

Reviews

[Arthur Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting though not riveting novel inspired by a rather well-known murder that took place in northern New York State in 1897. The story is told quite simply, the narrative written almost in a style one might expect to encounter in a book written for young persons, though the story itself is not by any means one that would be written for children. It is not an account of the real-life murder, but it is similar to the actual case in many of the details. (The author makes no attempt to conceal the source of his inspiration, and acknowledges it in a brief forward, thanking the district attorney who convicted the culprit for his assistance.)