James Fenimore Cooper’s spirited romance has been praised for its authenticity as a portrait of life during America’s western movement.

At Lake Otsego, during the French and Indian Wars, great frontiersman Natty Bumppo forsakes his love to come to the aid of Thomas Hutter, a trapper under the attack of Iroquois Indians.

Published in 1841, The Deerslayer is the first of the ‘Leatherstocking Tales,’ which reveal the courageous and perseverant nature of the pioneer.

Recognized for his descriptive power, Cooper created in Natty Bumppo a mythical character-one of the most significant in the history of American literature.

The text of this book was approved by the Center for Scholarly Editions of the Modern Language Association and published in hardcover by the State University of New York Press.

Introduction by DONALD E. PEASE