Very odd abridged version of the Leatherstocking Tales. All the parts about Natty Bumpo are copied verbatim and the rest is summarized. ( )

This was a very good idea for a compilation. Allan Nevins takes all of Cooper’s Leatherstocking tales (The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The Pioneers and The Prairie), edits out the parts that don’t have much or anything to do with Natty and puts them in chronological order “from Hawkeye’s youth on the New York frontier in King George’s War until his death on the Western prairies in Jefferson’s Administration.” It’s sort of a Reader’s Digest Condensed Book for American Lit majors. There is a good bit of useful introductory matter with essays and maps plus bridging summaries and notes within the texts. Not all of the novels get the same amount of trimming. The Prairie is the shortest with 68 pages retained and The Deerslayer is the longer at 236 pages. All in all, this a good way to read about Hawkeye (or whatever he calls himself at the moment) in one continuous story. ( )

A classic of American literature. It has aged - but it should still be required reading for American students. ( )

Great american saga ( )