James Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851), the first significant American author, spent his childhood in Cooperstown, New York. It was there that he first heard stories about the Native Americans, which later became the main material for his early adventure novels. His first novel, "Precaution," was published in 1820 and deals with the high society of England. Other significant novels by Cooper include: "The Spy" (1821), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826), "The American Democrat" (1838), "The Pathfinder" (1840), and "The Deerslayer" (1846). Upon his death in 1851, Cooper left behind a significant body of work that was appreciated by both his fellow countrymen and prominent European authors such as Balzac, Tolstoy, Conrad, and Melville.