James Fenimore Cooper's historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature. He lived most of his life in Cooperstown, New York, which was founded by his father William on property that he owned. The Last of the Mohicans is what the great American wild is all about -- the sure-shot frontiersman and the crafty Indian ("a mortal to be felt afore he is seen"); the damsel in the dangerous woods, and the explosive smell of black gunpowder. James Fenimore Cooper's 1826 novel has been the source of numerous movies, TV shows, and even comic books. Most recent is Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Cooper's man of many names: Hawkeye, Pathfinder, and Leatherstocking. But the novel itself is where to go on the track of that most elusive quarry, the mythic wilderness, where the moccasin leaves no track. Set against the French and Indian War that was a living memory in Cooper's time.