The Last of the Mohicans (Annotated)

The wild rush of action in this classic frontier adventure story has made “The Last of the Mohicans” the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. And as the idyllic wilderness gives way to the forces of civilization, the novel presents a moving portrayal of a vanishing race and the end of its way of life in the great American forests.

Quotes from the book:

“Stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you. I will find you!”

“History, like love, is so apt to surround her heroes with an atmosphere of imaginary brightness.”

“Chingachgook grasped the hand that, in the warmth of feeling, the scout had stretched across the fresh earth, and in that attitude of friendship these intrepid woodsmen bowed their heads together, while scalding tears fell to their feet, watering the grave of Uncas like drops of falling rain.”

“Your young white, who gathers his learning from books and can measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like his legs, outruns that of his fathers’, but, where experience is the master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects them accordingly.”

Readers' reviews:

“Cooper's sympathy is large, and his humor is as genuine—and as perfectly unaffected—as his art.” (Joseph Conrad)

“One of my all time favorite books. This is adventure and excitement set to coopers lyrical descriptions. Loved it.” (Sherrie, goodreads.com)

“Such a timely work, I enjoyed twice as much -- it stands on it's own as a classic, and moreso to me as historic fiction. An enjoyable read.” (JP, goodreads.com)