The Last Of the Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimoore Cooper is the second and best-known book of his Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy. Like the rest of the books in the series, the story follows the adventures of Natty Bumppo, nicknamed “Hawkeye” by his Native American friends. Set in 1757 in the American wilderness that would become New York State, The Last of the Mohicans takes place during the Seven Years' War (known in America as the French and Indian War). The book is widely read in American Literature courses, particularly in discussions of westward expansion and Native American assimilation, although Cooper himself was considered sympathetic towards Native Americans.

The Last of the Mohicans was first published in two volumes by H.C. Carey & I. Lea in Philadelphia in 1826. First editions contain a number of identifiable points of issue including page 89 mispaged 93 and bound after page 91/92 and Chapter XVI numbered XIV in Volume I (page 243). First editions of The Last of the Mohicans have sold for $15,000 to $30,000.

London-based John Miller published The Last of the Mohicans in three volumes about a month later than the Philadelphia edition and is recognized as the “First English Edition.”