Five Novels

The Leatherstocking Tales #1-5

by James Fenimore Cooper

Synopsis

The novels of James Fenimore Cooper are steeped in the history and lore of an America that had only recently established its independence and was still in the process of taming its vast wilderness. As the nation's first commercially successful professional novelist, Cooper was instrumental in helping to shape America's early cultural identity and giving voice to his country's unique political and social concerns.

The five novels collected in this volume The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer comprise Cooper's Leather-Stocking Tales, and feature the adventures of woodsman Natty Bumppo, a figure of independence and self-reliance who is recognized today as an American folk icon. Written over a twenty-year span and encompassing sixty years of American history, Cooper's tales are monuments of literature that capture the spirit of the fledgling nation and bring the drama of its settling colorfully to life.

James Fenimore Cooper: Five Novels is part of Barnes & Noble's Library of Essential Writers. Each title in the series presents the finest works complete and unabridged from one of the greatest writers in literature in magnificent, elegantly designed hardback editions. Every volume also includes an original introduction that provides the reader with enlightening information on the writer's life and works.

Biography
James Fenimore Cooper is considered by many to be America's first great novelist. His most popular work, The Last of the Mohicans, has remained one of the most widely read novels throughout the world, greatly influencing the way many cultures have viewed both the American Indians and the frontier period of U.S. history.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literature, Westerns, Adventure, American

1212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1823

About the author

James Fenimore Cooper was a popular and prolific American writer. He is best known for his historical novel The Last of the Mohicans, one of the Leatherstocking Tales stories, and he also wrote political fiction, maritime fiction, travelogues, and essays on the American politics of the time. His daughter Susan Fenimore Cooper was also a writer.

Series:
* The Leatherstocking Tales
* The Littlepage Manuscripts
* Afloat and Ashore
* Homeward Bound

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was epic strorytelling layered with richly colorful & detailed descritpive imagery within all the novels. Cooper's use to paint a picture of nature was fun to read. My favorite story from the boxset was The Deerslayer and my second was The Last of the Mohicans. The writing is unique to the time and took some adjusting compared to modern writing. I would recommend either one of these to enthusiasts of early American literature and the remaining novels to completists. Thanks!

[Harold Flint · Rating 5 out of 5]

An American classic all should experience

Cooper has spun a thread that should be part of any person interested in American literature's fabric. The work allows the reader to experience the flowing phraseology of early American Authors. Brilliant work.

[Vern · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are classics in American Literature, but written in the early 1800's. The writing style was far different than today, and the verbiage took a while to get used to, but still a good read, even if a bit of a slog at times. They probably deserve higher than a 3 star, but I could only give a 3 because it took so long to read and understand. Loved the stories though, and glad I took the time and effort.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams of the Frontier

The Leatherstocking Tales are iconic in western literature. Despite the cultural changes time has wrought, the honesty of Natty Bumpo is timeless and the images evoked by Cooper’s words are bittersweet for those of us yearning for adventure and a way out of a wearisome and stagnant existence. Written in unfamiliar prose, you have to be in it for the long haul, but it’s worth every minute.

[Marsh "Bad Sci Fi" Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the condensed version of Cooper’s five novels. And before you decide whether to read this or the full version, read a chapter of each. You will likely opt for condensed and not feel a pang of Big Book angst about cheating. What to say about the book itself? It’s a bit too much like the serialized movies of the nickelodeon era. But on the other hand, the place and the colorful characters are nice to spend time with. I was happy to learn a bit of history, albeit one-sided. I did not realize the tensions between the Hurons and the Iroquois, nor how much extra stress the Hurons put on the relationship between the Iroquois and the British. The book also paints a picture of pre-revolution America that I’ve been lacking in learning about.

Oddly, Cooper probably did his best work capturing a place and time with The Prairie, a place he never made it to, but relied on interviews. If you are a fan of Willa Cather, definitely read that part at least.

[John]

I am reading this collection of the Leatherstocking tales for the 3rd time. First read these tales when a teen; loved them!
Reading The Deerslayer again and still find it engrossing and a fascinating description of life on the early American frontier.
I know that Cooper was not a first-hand witness to any of life in the era he describes, but he is a lot closer than most authors from this era.

Good stuff!

[ArcticDunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nagyon jó volt! Az elejétől fogva élvezetes és izgalmas volt J. F. Cooper indiánkönyveinek gyűjteménye. Tetszett, hogy az öt történet végigkíséri az Európából érkezett, vadász, Nathaniel Bumppo (Vadölő, Sólyomszem, Nyomkereső, Bőrharisnya) életét. Az utolsó könyv nagyon szépen írja le az öreg vadász utolsó történetét

[John Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indian warfare!

Classic adventure stories with exhaustive 19th century descriptions. Still a great read after you slog thru the verbosity. “Last of the Mohicans “ is the best known but the other four are excellent as well

[Henry Percy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought I'd better see what Mark Twain objected to so stringently. I gave up after Deerslayer. "Wordy" comes to mind, or "otiose" or "proli" or "verbose." Sheesh! I fonly Cooper had had an editor who excised half his words. I guess it was popular in his time, but one was enough for me.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful storytelling

Written in the english of the early 19th century it is often a challenge to decipher its meaning, but, these books are an engaging read that takes you back to the time in which they take place.

[john r shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Collection

A real bargain. Most interesting read. Start at beginning for these books are sequels.
Brings the colonialism of America to life.

[Djordje · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating: ★★

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. The five books are arranged by internal chronological order, not by published order.

[Bonnye Reed]

The EReader Cafe

[Brad Wiebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan since childhood and have probably read these tales more times than The Lord of the Rings.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall quite an epic achievement for Cooper. Definitely what he is most remembered for. I’ve reviewed each novel separately. Definitely recommended

[Margaret Denbow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for first three books.

Last two books are rather supercilious and dry. Author is rather wordy but descriptions of nature are superb and breathtaking.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last two books were not as interesting stories as the first three.

[Nate Conant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old hard to read but a classic that put Cooper on the map as one of America's first authors.

[James Violand · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can possibly avoid the outrageous inconsistencies in some scenes or the extremely improbable - "Say sister. Our father is surrounded by hostile Indians in the Mohawk River Valley, let's go visit him, shall we?" If you can persist in tamping down your incredulity, you could find yourself enjoying these books. Cooper tried to be America's Sir Walter Scott. Too bad he couldn't see the glaring problems he created. Still, I enjoyed reading these novels. They span from the French & Indian War to the early settlement of the West and present a wonderful flavor of the times. An aside: Read Mark Twain's criticism of Cooper. It's hilarious!

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

11 months and 1200 pages later, my Fenimore Cooper odyssey is over. I'd most recommend the first Natty Bumppo book he wrote, The Pioneers... if you run out of other things to read. Last of the Mohicans and The Prairie are good also. The Deerslayer is ponderous.

[Kim Godard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overblown and melodramatic. I liked it when I started because the footnotes added historical bits and pieces to round out the fiction, but in the end, the flowery language overwhelmed me, and I found I just wanted it to be over.

[Liza Verdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Leatherstocking Tales were pretty cool adventures with honourable people in them. I really liked The Deerslayer. None of them were fabulous but they were pretty cool. They were kind of the same after you'd read a few of them.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a good early-spring read. Start looking for those animal tracks!

[Attila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the complete Leatherstocking Tales when I was a kid. I persevered and worked my way through all five of them, though none of them made a lasting impression on me.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical time to read: 50 hours and 15 minutes.

[Mark A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

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