The Deerslayer – James Fenimore Cooper 1861 | Illustrated

$99.00

Author: James Fenimore Cooper; F.O.C. Darley illustrator
Publisher: W. A. Townsend & Co., NY, 1861
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Size: 8vo
Attributes: Illustrated

First illustrated edition thus. Binding tight, spine ends frayed, edges worn, light soiling at the bottom, unmarked. Illustrated with steel engravings and in-line drawings by F. O.C. Darley. Good.

The Deerslayer – James Fenimore Cooper (1861 Edition), Illustrated by F.O.C. Darley

This mid-19th century edition of Cooper’s final Leatherstocking Tale features the iconic illustrations of Felix Octavius Carr Darley, whose engravings helped define the visual identity of Natty Bumppo (Hawkeye) for generations of readers. Set during the French and Indian War, the novel follows young Bumppo’s moral coming-of-age as he navigates alliances with Delaware chief Chingachgook and confronts the brutality of colonial frontier life. Darley’s detailed plates capture key scenes—the Glimmerglass lake ambushes, the Huron siege—with a blend of romanticism and historical accuracy that shaped early American art.

Illustrations: Darley’s 8 steel-engraved plates appear in the 1861 Mohawk Edition by W.A. Townsend.

If You Appreciate Darley’s Art:

The Last of the Mohicans (Cooper, 1859 Darley edition) – His most famous Cooper illustrations.
Rip Van Winkle (Irving, 1860) – Darley’s Dutch-colonial scenes.
The Sketch Book (Irving, 1861) – Includes Sleepy Hollow with Darley engravings.