The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper
Page 18
Publication Date: 1823
I’d avoided James Fenimore Cooper’s novels for most of my life, the most likely reason being that people said his work was boring and not worth the trouble. Yet somewhere in my pioneering soul a voice rang out, imploring me that I needed to learn about Natty Bumppo…Hawk-eye…Leather-Stocking.
And I had another reason to crack open the book: The Library of America sent me Volumes I and II of The Leatherstocking Tales, and if it was good enough for them, it was certainly good enough for Gosneys (a phrase I came up with a number of years ago that I consider our family motto).
I’m a big fan of The Library of America subscription editions. I love the look, the slipcases to store them in (not pictured, but you can see them if you go to the Forward of this blog), the sewn-in ribbon markers, and even the thin pages, which allows them to pack in plenty of pages. At some point in life you come to the realization that your expiration date will be arriving - probably sooner than you expect - and you don’t want to leave all those wonderful books on your shelves unread.
With this thought in mind, I decided to start reading the adventures of Nathaniel Bumppo and his great friend, Chingachgook, in publication order. The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna; a Descriptive Tale, is the fourth chronological story, but the first novel written in the series. As you can see, the entire title is really quite a mouthful, so it’s no wonder it’s just referred to as The Pioneers. In the image below from the book’s interior, you can see that this volume contains the first three novels, and the titles get progressively shorter!
Natty is past his prime in The Pioneers, which takes place from December 1793 to the fall of 1794. I’m guessing that a good number of people know the character from the film version of The Last of the Mohicans, which takes place 37 years before The Pioneers. But regardless of his age, Natty is still resourceful and confident of his skills, yet he’s an introspective man of nature who reveres God and loves his dog.
“...that dog is more to be trusted than many a Christian man; for he never forgets a friend, and loves the hand that gives him bread.” ~Natty Bumppo
Hawk-eye is facing change all around him, and with the country expanding and people looking for ways to make their mark in this new world, whether by means honest or not, the pioneer hero has his thoughts on the subject.
“I trouble no man; why can't the law leave me to myself? Go back—go back, and tell your Judge that he may keep his bounty; but I won't have his wasty ways brought into my hut.” ~Natty Bumppo
The Pioneers may not appeal to many readers today, but I quickly became enmeshed in Cooper’s world of New York from a distant past, and have, to this point, read four out of the five Leatherstocking Tales.
Before we turn the page, did you know that there was a short-lived TV series named Hawkeye? It takes place in 1755, a couple years before The Last of the Mohicans. Though I have yet to watch it, you can watch it at a couple different streaming channels. I’ve included the opening credits below.
…and stay tuned for Page 19, coming soon!
From the excitement of buying shiny new comic books to collecting older issues for those nostalgic leanings of yesteryear, my weekly blog Cool Comics In My Collection showcases something for everyone at edgosney.com.