James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper was the first great American author.

He was born on September 15 of 1789 in New Jersey. He then moved to the frontier village
of Cooperstown, New York. There, James lived an adventurous childhood and
loved to go exploring. His high-spiritedness led to him being expelled from
Yale University because of a practical joke. That ended James' education.

Instead of going to other colleges, he joined the Navy.

James Fenimore Cooper is accredited with inventing two genres in American
literature. He created the sea romance novel and the frontier adventure
novel. James actually influenced other famous writers like Herman Melville
and Joseph Conrad to write about the sea too.

The first book James ever wrote was Precaution, published in 1820. This book
was written supposedly after he read book and said "I could write you a
better book myself!".

Though Precaution was James' first book, he is most
known for writing the Leatherstocking Tales, first published in 1823 which
are a series of tales centered on the main character, Natty Bumppo. Natty
Bumppo is a wilderness scout who encounters many adventures in the line of
duty.

In the most famous of the Leatherstocking Tales, The Last of the
Mohicans, published in 1826, Natty and his Native American friends get
tangled up in the battles of the French and Indian War. This book has
everything; kidnapping, hostility, ambushes, and a suspenseful ending. Most
all of Cooper's books had these elements.

Besides the action and adventure, another reason Cooper's books are liked
so well by so many people is because of the way he writes. Unlike most
English writers of his time, James Fenimore Cooper used simple language. He
made Natty Bumppo speak like a real frontiersman.

James Fenimore Cooper died on September 14, 1851, the day before his 62nd
birthday. He died after becoming America's national novelist and left a
legacy of adventure behind.

By: Breeze