The Pioneers (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

By James Fenimore Cooper and Hugh MacDougall

The Pioneers is a novel in the romantic tradition--a tale of love, hidden identity, and forest adventure. It is also a vivid description of life in a newly settled village on the American frontier, where people of varied ethnic and racial backgrounds have come together to build a new community. In it, James Fenimore Cooper introduced his most memorable character, the wilderness scout Natty Bumppo, nicknamed the Leatherstocking. Cooper would make him the central character of four more very popular "Leatherstocking Tales," and he would become the inspiration for much of the American "Western" tradition down to The Lone Ranger and Tonto.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Sep 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781411429987

James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper was a nineteenth-century American author and political critic. Esteemed by many for his Romantic style, Cooper became popular for his depiction of Native Americans in fiction. Before Cooper considered himself a writer, he was expelled from Yale University, served as a midshipman for the United States Navy, and became a gentleman farmer. Cooper wrote many notable works including The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, and The Red Rover, which was adapted and performed on stage in 1828. Cooper passed away in 1851 at the age of 61.