University of Virginia Library University of Virginia
Early American Fiction Collection

EAF Author: James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)

James Fenimore Cooper

Works in the Collection      Manuscript Materials      Biographies      Other Resources

James Fenimore Cooper, widely considered to be the first great American novelist, was born in Burlington, New Jersey on September 15, 1789. The son of a wealthy and influential judge, Cooper lived the comfortable life of a country gentleman until a series of family tragedies left him deeply in debt and caused him to turn to writing as a source of income. Although his first novel, Precaution, was a failure, his second effort, The Spy, was very successful, bringing him international fame and recognition. Cooper is perhaps best known for his five Leatherstocking Tales, the most famous of which is The Last of the Mohicans. From 1826 to 1833 Cooper lived in Europe, where he produced some unpopular political writings which somewhat damaged his reputation back home. He spent the last years of his life in Cooperstown, NY, a settlement founded by and named after his father. Cooper continued to write prolifically until his death on September 14, 1851.

Works in the EAF Collection

The Bravo (1831) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Chainbearer; or, The Littlepage Manuscripts (1845) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Crater; or, Vulcan's Peak. A Tale of the Pacific (1847) [Volume 1] [Volume 2 ] (Restricted)

The Deerslayer (1841) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Headsman; or, The Abbaye des Vignerons (1833) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Heidenmauer (1832) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

Home as Found (1838) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

Homeward Bound; or, The Chase. A Tale of the Sea (1838) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

Jack Tier (1848) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Last of the Mohicans (1826) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

Lionel Lincoln; or, The Leaguer of Boston [Volume 1] (1825) [Volume 2] (1824) (Restricted)

Mercedes of Castile; or, The Voyage to Cathay (1840) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Monikins (1835) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

Ned Myers; or, A Life before the Mast (1843) (Restricted)

The Oak Openings; or, The Bee-Hunter (1848) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Pathfinder; or, The Inland Sea (1840) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Pilot (1823) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Pioneers (1823) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Prairie (1827) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

Precaution (1820) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Red Rover [Volume 1] (1828) [Volume 2] (1827) (Restricted)

The Redskins; or, Indian and Injin: Being the Conclusion of the Littlepage Manuscripts (1846) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

Satanstoe; or, the Littlepage Manuscripts. A Tale of the Colony (1845) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Sea Lions; or, The Lost Sealers (1849) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Spy (1821) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Two Admirals (1842) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Water-Witch (1831) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

The Ways of the Hour (1850) (Restricted)

The Wept of Wish Ton-Wish (1829) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

The Wing-and-Wing; or, Le Feu-Follett (1842) [Volume 1] [Volume 2] (Restricted)

Wyandotte; or, the Hutted Knoll (1843) [Volume 1] [Volume 2]

Contemporary Biographies

From Oscar Fay Adams, A Dictionary of American Authors (1901)

From Samuel Austin Allibone, A Critical Dictionary of English Literature (1900)

From Evert A. Duyckinck, Cyclopaedia of American Literature (1856)