James Fenimore Cooper

Wyandotte by James Fenimore Cooper

The facts of this country are all so recent, and so famil iar, that every innovation on them, by means of the imagi nation, is coldly received, if it be not absolutely frowned upon. Perhaps it would have been safer to have written a work of this character without a reference to any particular locality. The few local allusions that are introduced are not essential to the plot, and might have been dispensed with without lessening the interest of the tale.

The plot has thickened in the few short months that have intervened since the appearance of the first portion of our Manuscripts, and bloodshed has come to deepen the stain left on the country by the wide-spread and bold assertion of false principles. This must long since have been foreseen; and it is perhaps a subject of just felicitation, that the violence which has occurred was limited to the loss of a single life, when the chances were, and still are, that it will extend to civil war. That portions of the community have behaved nobly under this sudden outbreak of a lawless and unprincipled combination to rob, is undeniable, and ought to be dwelt on with gratitude and an honest pride; that the sense of right of much the larger portion of the country has been deeply wounded, is equally true; that justice has been aroused, and is at this moment speaking in tones of authority to the offenders, is beyond contradiction; but, while all this is admitted, and admitted not altogether without hope, yet are there grounds for fear, so reasonable and strong, that no writer who is faithful to the real interests of his country ought, for a single moment, to lose sight of them. High authority, in one sense, or that of political power, has pronounced the tenure of a durable lease to be opposed to the spirit of the institutions! Yet these tenures existed when the institutions were formed, and one of the provisions of the institutions themselves guarantees the observance of the covenants under which the tenures exist. It would have been far wiser, and much nearer to the truth, had those who coveted their neighbors' goods been told that, in their attempts to subvert and destroy the tenures in question, they were opposing a solemn and fundamental provision of law, and in so much opposing the institutions. The capital error is becoming prevalent, which holds the pernicious doctrine that this is a government of men, instead of one of principles.

Part of a trilogy of works by the author of The Last of the Mohicans, The Headsman is regarded by many critics to be one of James Fenimore Cooper's most accomplished novels. With the action of the novel divided between the Swiss Alps and a series of sea voyages, The Headsman is a must-read for fans of Cooper's unique brand of adventure fiction.

A disagreement over the killing of a buck during a hunting trip brings an elderly Natty Bumppo, known as Leatherstocking, into contact with a judge and his daughter. Staunchly defending his right to hunt in the rapidly-changing Lake Otsego region, Bumppo challenges the prevailing attitudes towards the cultivation of the forest at the height of its pioneer settlement.The first of the five Leatherstocking novels to be published, The Pioneers is chronologically the fourth in the series.HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

The Prairie: A Tale (1827) is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, the third novel written by him featuring Natty Bumppo, his fictitious frontier hero, who is simply known as "the trapper" in it. Chronologically The Prairie is the fifth and final installment of the Leatherstocking Tales. It depicts Natty in the final year of his life still proving helpful to people in distress on the American frontier. Continuity with The Last of the Mohicans is indicated by the appearance of the grandson of Duncan and Alice Heyward of The Last of the Mohicans and the noble Pawnee chief Hard Heart, whose name is English for the French nickname for the Delaware, le Coeur-dur. Natty is drawn to Hard Heart as a noble warrior in the likeness of his dear friend Uncas, "the last of the Mohicans."

Instead of memorizing vocabulary words, work your way through an actual well-written novel. Even novices can follow along as each individual English paragraph is paired with the corresponding French paragraph. It won't be an easy project, but you'll learn a lot.

On his first "warpath" in New York's Lake Otsego during the French and Indian Wars, the courageous Natty Bumppo—one of American literature's noblest heroes—is honor-bound to rescue a trapper and his family attacked by Iroquois Indians. Accompanied by his loyal Mohican friend, Chingachgook, the great frontiersman becomes embroiled in a bloody battle of capture and escape.Originally published in 1841, The Deerslayer is one of James Fenimore Cooper's legendary "Leatherstocking Tales"—heart-pounding narratives of adventure in the vast wilderness and desolate prairies of eighteenth-century America. Acclaimed by D. H. Lawrence as "the loveliest and best" of Cooper's works, The Deerslayer recaptures the danger and excitement of frontier life in the New World.

This exciting tale combines elements of classic adventure with themes of religion, reverence, and tolerance. The 'oak openings' of the title are the wooded prairies of Michigan, where the peaceful camaraderie between white frontiersmen and Native Americans is tested when the War of 1812 breaks out. Will these friendships survive the conflict? Is co-existence possible? Read Oak Openings to find out how the uneasy truce fares.

he plan of this tale suggested itself to the writer many years since, though the details are altogether of recent invention. The idea of associating seamen and savages in incidents that might be supposed characteristic of the Great Lakes having been mentioned to a Publisher, the latter obtained something like a pledge from the Author to carry out the design at some future day, which pledge is now tardily and imperfectly redeemed.

The deadly crack of a long rifle and the piercing cries of Indians on the warpath shatter the serenity of beautiful Lake Glimmerglass. Danger has invaded the vast forests of upper New York State as Deerslayer and his loyal Mohican friend Chingachgook attempt the daring rescue of an Indian maiden imprisoned in a Huron camp. Soon they are caught in the cross fire between a cunning enemy and two white bounty hunters who mercilessly kill for profit. The last of the Leatherstocking Tales to be written, though first in the chronology of the hero’s life, The Deerslayer is James Fenimore Cooper’s masterpiece. A fine combination of romance, adventure, and morality, this classic novel of the frontier is an eloquent beginning for Cooper’s great wildernes saga—and an unforgettable introduction to the famous character who has been said to embody the conscience of America: the noble woodsman Deerslayer.

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