24 h 6 minAudiobook10 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is a man's honour worth when the wilderness demands that he fight to survive?
On Glimmerglass, a quiet lake in the hills of New York, young Natty Bumppo stands on the edge of his first warpath. Known as Deerslayer, he is a skilled hunter who has not yet killed a man. In James Fenimore Cooper's adventure, set before the American Revolution, his simple code meets a world where greed can turn neighbours into enemies.
Thomas Hutter lives with his daughters, Judith and Hetty, in a house on stilts. His plan with Hurry Harry to take Huron scalps for money threatens the lake's peace. Meanwhile, the Delaware warrior Chingachgook seeks to rescue his betrothed, Wah-ta-Wah, from the Hurons. Among canoes, ambushes, and divided loyalties, Deerslayer must decide what honesty asks of him when lives are at stake.
What you’ll discover
- A hunter's first test Meet a young hero whose skill with weapons cannot settle every question of right and wrong.
- Life upon the lake Enter the Castle, Hutter's wooden home, where the surrounding water offers no promise of safety.
- A rescue among enemies Follow Chingachgook's search for Wah-ta-Wah, whose courage matters as much as his own.
- Honour across divided loyalties Explore competing laws and loyalties, and the question of what settlers owe the people whose land they enter.
- A wilderness worth lingering in Watch canoes cross Glimmerglass as Cooper dwells on forest light and the shape of the shore.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like adventure with a moral weight, early American history, and slow, scenic storytelling. It also rewards anyone curious about the roots of the Western. If you want fast modern pacing or little description, you may find it less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two friends meet at the lake
- The Hutters live on the water
- A plan for scalps brings war
- Deerslayer's first fight tests his code
- Chingachgook, Wah-ta-Wah, and the rescue
- Judith, Hetty, and the Castle under siege
- A promise given to the enemy
- What the book is about: honour, race, and land
- How Cooper tells the story
Who’s who
- DeerslayerA young hunter raised among the Delaware, honest and skilled, who has not yet killed a man and wants to live by his code.
- ChingachgookA Delaware warrior, proud and steady, who has come to the lake to rescue his betrothed from the Hurons.
- Hurry Harry MarchA big, boastful frontiersman, strong and vain, who wants Judith as his wife and money from the woods.
- Thomas HutterAn old trapper with a dark past, who lives on the lake in a house on stilts with his daughters.
- Judith HutterThe elder daughter, proud, clever, and very beautiful, who is used to admiration and seeks someone she can trust.
- Hetty HutterThe younger daughter, simple in mind and deeply devout, who speaks the truth plainly and trusts in her Bible.
- Wah-ta-WahChingachgook's betrothed, held by the Hurons, quick and brave, who wants to return to her people.
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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The Deerslayer
by James Fenimore Cooper· 1841
A young frontiersman faces war and tests of his word.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
Two friends meet at the lake
The story opens in the forest near Glimmerglass, where two men meet by chance. One is Deerslayer, a young hunter raised among the Delaware people by missionaries and by his own wits. The other is Hurry Harry March, a big, loud, boastful frontiersman. Hurry Harry is known for his strength and his good looks, and he is bound for the lake on business of his own.
Deerslayer has a name from the Delaware, who call him the Deerslayer because of his skill as a hunter. He has not yet killed a man, and he says so with plain pride. He believes a person should act by what he calls his gifts, the duties that belong to his race and his nature. For him that means honesty, courage, and no cruelty.
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The author
James Fenimore Cooper
1789–1851 · American historical novelist
James Fenimore Cooper was an American writer born in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1789. He grew up in Cooperstown, New York, and lived in Europe from 1826 to 1833. He wrote The Spy (1821), The Pioneers (1823), The Last of the Mohicans (1826), and The Deerslayer (1841). He died in Cooperstown in 1851.
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What is The Deerslayer about?
It tells of a young hunter called Deerslayer who helps a Delaware friend rescue his betrothed on Glimmerglass lake in New York. He is caught up in a fight between settlers, the Hurons, and a family living on the water.
Is The Deerslayer part of a series?
Yes. It is one of the five Leatherstocking Tales. Cooper wrote it last, in 1841, but it comes first in the hero's life, showing Natty Bumppo as a young man.
Is The Deerslayer a true story?
No. The characters and plot are fiction. The setting, upstate New York before the American Revolution, is real, and the lake was modelled on Otsego Lake near Cooper's home town of Cooperstown.
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