author
Daniel P. (Daniel Pierce) Thompson
1795–1868
A pioneering Vermont novelist, lawyer, and public servant, he helped bring early American historical fiction to a wide readership. His best-known tales drew on Revolutionary-era New England and helped make him one of the region’s most popular storytellers before Nathaniel Hawthorne.
3 Audiobooks
Gaut Gurley; Or, the Trappers of Umbagog: A Tale of Border Life
by Daniel P. (Daniel Pierce) Thompson
The Demon Trapper of Umbagog: A Thrilling Tale of the Maine Forests
by Daniel P. (Daniel Pierce) Thompson
The Rangers; or, The Tory's Daughter A Tale Illustrative of the Revolutionary History of Vermont and the Northern Campaign of 1777
by Daniel P. (Daniel Pierce) Thompson
About the author
Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on October 1, 1795, he grew up in Berlin, Vermont, studied at Middlebury College, and went on to build a career in law and public life in Montpelier. Alongside his legal work, he served Vermont in several offices, including Secretary of State.
He is best remembered as the author of historical romances and frontier adventures, especially The Green Mountain Boys and The Rangers. His fiction often turned to Vermont and northern New England history, blending dramatic storytelling with a strong sense of place that appealed to 19th-century readers.
In addition to writing novels, he also worked on history and political writing, reflecting his deep interest in Vermont’s past and public affairs. Today, he is remembered as an important early American novelist whose books helped shape popular historical fiction in New England.