Irving Bacheller
Encyclopedia
Addison Irving Bacheller (September 26, 1859 – February 24, 1950) was an American
journalist
and writer
who founded the first modern newspaper syndicate in the United States.
, New York
, Irving Bacheller graduated from St. Lawrence University
in 1882 after which he accepted a job with the Daily Hotel Reporter; by 1883 he was working for the Brooklyn Daily Times. Two years later, he established a business to provide specialized articles to the major Sunday newspapers. It was through the Bacheller Syndicate that he brought to American readers the writings of British
authors such as Joseph Conrad
, Arthur Conan Doyle
, and Rudyard Kipling
. He also established a working partnership with the young author and journalist Stephen Crane
, whose The Red Badge of Courage
became famous after it appeared in syndication. Several years later, Bacheller hired Crane to act as a war correspondent
in Cuba during the insurrection against Spain; on the journey there, Crane's ship foundered off the coast of Florida, and he was stranded on a dingy for two days. This experience led to his short story "The Open Boat
".
in 1898, he soon chose to pursue a full-time career as a fiction
writer and two years later gave up his journalist position. Writing novels primarily concerned with early American life in the North Country of New York State, in 1900 his novel "Eben Holden," subtitled A Tale of the North Country, proved a major success. According to the New York Times, "Eben Holden" was the fourth best-selling novel in the United States in 1900
. In 1901 the book was still ranked fifth for the year and his next novel issued that year titled "D'ri and I" was tenth in annual sales. Sixteen years later, Bacheller's work "The Light in the Clearing" was the No.2 best-selling book in America and in 1920, "A Man for the Ages" was fifth.
during World War I
. In later years, he served on the board of trustees of both St. Lawrence University and Rollins College
in Winter Park, Florida
where he built a home, called Gate o' the Isles, and spent his winters from 1919 through 1940. St. Lawrence's Gunninson Memorial Chapel bells are named "The Bacheller Memorial Chimes" in his honor. Additionally, the St Lawrence English department's honorary society is named for him, and one of the dining halls bears the name "Eben Holden."
Irving Bacheller died in White Plains, New York
in 1950. In recent years, several of his works have been reprinted and a previously unpublished manuscript, titled Lost in the Fog, was published in 1990.
Bibliography:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who founded the first modern newspaper syndicate in the United States.
Birth and education
Born in PierrepontPierrepont, New York
Pierrepont is a town and hamlet in St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,674. It was named after Hezekiah Pierrepont, the early owner of much of the town's territory. The Town of Pierrepont is centrally located in the county and is...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Irving Bacheller graduated from St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
in 1882 after which he accepted a job with the Daily Hotel Reporter; by 1883 he was working for the Brooklyn Daily Times. Two years later, he established a business to provide specialized articles to the major Sunday newspapers. It was through the Bacheller Syndicate that he brought to American readers the writings of British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
authors such as Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
, Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, and Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. He also established a working partnership with the young author and journalist Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism...
, whose The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane . Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound—a "red badge of courage"—to...
became famous after it appeared in syndication. Several years later, Bacheller hired Crane to act as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
in Cuba during the insurrection against Spain; on the journey there, Crane's ship foundered off the coast of Florida, and he was stranded on a dingy for two days. This experience led to his short story "The Open Boat
The Open Boat
"The Open Boat" is a short story by American author Stephen Crane . First published in 1897, it was based on Crane's experience of surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Florida earlier that year while traveling to Cuba to work as a newspaper correspondent. Crane was stranded at sea for thirty...
".
Novels
Irving Bacheller began writing himself, publishing "The Master of Silence" in 1892 and "Still House of O'Darrow" in 1894. Although he was appointed Sunday editor of the New York WorldNew York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
in 1898, he soon chose to pursue a full-time career as a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
writer and two years later gave up his journalist position. Writing novels primarily concerned with early American life in the North Country of New York State, in 1900 his novel "Eben Holden," subtitled A Tale of the North Country, proved a major success. According to the New York Times, "Eben Holden" was the fourth best-selling novel in the United States in 1900
1900 in literature
The year 1900 in literature involved some significant new books and publications, as well as the deaths of several highly prominent writers, including among them the late Irish poet Oscar Wilde and the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche....
. In 1901 the book was still ranked fifth for the year and his next novel issued that year titled "D'ri and I" was tenth in annual sales. Sixteen years later, Bacheller's work "The Light in the Clearing" was the No.2 best-selling book in America and in 1920, "A Man for the Ages" was fifth.
Civic activities
Although he continued to turn out a string of books, Bacheller also served as a war correspondent in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In later years, he served on the board of trustees of both St. Lawrence University and Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
in Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
where he built a home, called Gate o' the Isles, and spent his winters from 1919 through 1940. St. Lawrence's Gunninson Memorial Chapel bells are named "The Bacheller Memorial Chimes" in his honor. Additionally, the St Lawrence English department's honorary society is named for him, and one of the dining halls bears the name "Eben Holden."
Rollins College
Bacheller played a key role in the development of Rollins College when, in 1925, he was named head of a search committee to find a new president for the school. He remembered a magazine editor he had known and admired in New York, Hamilton Holt, and he wrote to Holt offering him the job saying, "It's a cinch for a man of your capacity." Holt took the job and changed the face of Rollins College, with the help of Bachellor, from a tiny school with very little money, to a school with a multimillion dollar endowment and a beautiful, thriving campus. In 1940, with Holt still president, Rollins College announced the creation of a professorship of creative writing in Irving Bacheller's name.Irving Bacheller died in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
in 1950. In recent years, several of his works have been reprinted and a previously unpublished manuscript, titled Lost in the Fog, was published in 1990.
Bibliography:
- The Master of Silence (1892)
- Still House of O'Darrow (1894)
- Best Things From American Literature (1899)
- Eben Holden: A Tale of the North Country (1900)
- D'Ri and I (1901)
- The Story of a Passion (1901), published by the RoycroftersRoycroftRoycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the USA. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895 in the village of East Aurora, Erie County, New York, near Buffalo. Participants were known as Roycrofters...
of Elbert HubbardElbert HubbardElbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an... - Darrel of the Blessed Isles (1903)
- Vergilius (1904)
- Silas Strong: Emperor of the Woods (1906)
- Eben Holden's Last Day a-Fishing (1907)
- The Hand Made Gentleman: A Tale of the Battles of Peace (1909)
- Keeping up with Lizzie (1910)
- "Charge It" Or Keeping Up With Harry (1912)
- The Turning of Griggsby: Being a Story of Keeping Up with Daniel Webster (1913)
- The Marryers: a History Gathered From a Brief of the Honorable Socrates Potter (1914)
- The Light in the Clearing (1917)
- Keeping Up With William (1918)
- A Man for the Ages (1919)
- The Prodigal Village: a Christmas Tale (1920)
- In the Days of Poor Richard (1922)
- The Scudders: a Story of Today (1923)
- Father Abraham (1925)
- From Stores of Memory (1925)
- The House of the Three Ganders (1928)
- Coming Up The Road (1928)
- A Candle in the Wilderness: A Tale of the Beginning of New England (1930)
- Uncle Peel (1933)
- The Harvesting (1934)
- The Winds of God: A Tale of the North Country (1941)
- Lost in the Fog (1990)
External links
- Reading St. Lawrence County (a regional literature guide); features Irving Bacheller.
- Audio books by Irving Bacheller at Librivox