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Some cynic has said that a classic literature book is "a book people praise but seldom read." Unfortunately, that has more truth to it than I would like. But for me, I have found that most classic novels got to be classic for a reason – they are very entertaining novels. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Baroness Orczy, Captain Marryat, and many other authors have beguiled away hours for me while at the same time I was learning about people and places that come into the various stories and learning to think about life. Another such author is James Fenimore Cooper, probably the first American writer to achieve popularity at home and abroad. Modern critics have not treated him well but let me assure you, his books are worth reading. All his books have a strong Christian worldview and a few even deal with issues of salvation, which may be why many modern critics do not like them!
James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) became famous and wealthy through his many published books. He was the king of American literature, at least to the rest of the world, for decades. He lived for much of his life in Cooperstown, New York, which was founded by his father, hence the name. We know of Cooperstown today because that is where the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame is located. Cooper served in the US Navy, giving him the background for his many stories that were set at sea. In 1820 he published his first novel, after complaining to his wife that even he could write a better book than the book he was currently reading. His wife, Susan, challenged him to try and he published his first book, Precaution, with modest success. His second book, The Spy, really launched his career and was based on events during the Revolution in New York – George Washington is a major character as a spymaster. His fourth book was The Pilot, a fictionalized account of John Paul Jones’ life and adventures during the Revolution.
Cooper is remembered today, in the United States and in Europe, mainly for his five Leatherstocking Tales, which form a loosely-connected series. The main character is Natty Bumppo, sometimes going by the nickname of Deerslayer, Hawkeye, or Pathfinder. He starts out in colonial New York as a young man, perhaps 20 years old, in The Deerslayer, and dies in his late 80’s in The Prairie just after Lewis and Clark have opened up the western United States. During his long life, he was always a hunter and explorer, someone comfortable in the wilderness. One theme of the Leatherstocking Tales is the gradual shrinking of the wilderness, forcing him and his Indian friends farther and farther west. One might think that Natty Bumppo wouldn’t like people, as a grim, taciturn mountain man is often pictured, but he does like people and has a kind heart. He is very brave and, for an uneducated man, quite philosophical.
Personally, I like The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, and The Prairie (which has familial links back to The Last of the Mohicans) the best. The Pioneers was the first of the series written, still a good book but not as compelling a story as the others. I would read them in order but if you want to skip The Pioneers, I at least won’t be mad at you. I intend to read them again someday, and I myself will probably skip The Pioneers.
I will leave you with a last statement: James Fenimore Cooper, and other classic literature authors, can be fun to read! It might take a little more mental effort than the latest modern novel (e.g. James Patterson pablum), but once you get going, you will find yourself gripped by the story and the characters and enriched by the reading experience. Cooper is probably best read by high school students.