Other editions of book The Deerslayer

The Leatherstocking Tales is a collection of five historical novels written by James Fenimore Cooper. The Deerslayer is chronologically the first novel though it was the last one that Cooper wrote. The book introduces Natty Bumppo, the protagonist of the series, as a young frontiersman living in New York during the early 18th-century. James Fenimore Cooper was one of the most popular American authors in the early 19th century. Cooper wrote many historical romances that depicted frontier and Indian life. Cooper also served in the U.S. Navy and many of his books were based off his experiences. Cooper's most famous books are the five novels that form The Leatherstocking Tales, especially The Last of the Mohicans which is considered to be his masterpiece.

This novel introduces Natty Bumppo as "Deerslayer", a young frontiersman in early 18th-century New York. He is contrasted to other frontiersmen and settlers in the novel who have no compunctions in taking scalps in that his natural philosophy is that every living thing should follow "the gifts" of its nature—which would keep European Americans from taking scalps. Two such characters in the work who actually seek to take scalps are Henry March ("Hurry Harry") and floating Tom Hutter. In the dead of night Hutter and March sneak into the camp of the besieging members of the Huron tribe in order to kill and scalp as many as they can. Their plan fails, and Tom Hutter and March are captured. They are later ransomed by Bumppo, his lifelong friend Chingachgook, and Hutter's daughters, Judith and Hetty. Bumppo and Chingachgook come up with a plan to rescue Chingachgook's kidnapped betrothed Wah-ta!-Wah from the Hurons; but, in rescuing her, Bumppo is captured. In his absence, the Hurons invade Hutter's home, and Hutter is mortally wounded and scalped. After the death of Hutter his supposed daughters find out that they were not his natural daughters and he had been a notorious pirate. Bumppo's remaining allies and friends plan how to aid his escape from his Huron captors.