Philadelphia: H. C. Carey and I. Lea, 1826. First edition. Two vols, duodecimo (179 x 103 mm). Contemporary mottled sheep, rebacked to style and judiciously refurbished, red spine labels, spines numbered and ruled in gilt, roll on board edges gilt, edges yellow. Bump and wear to upper corners, small worming to endpapers, foxing to contents, occasional leaves a little roughly opened. A Very Good set. Housed in a custom brown sheep folding box.

Volume I has the following points, as called for in BAL: page vii with the final 'i' present in the pagination, page 89 misnumbered as page 93, and Chapter XVI misnumbered as XIV. Volume II is with the fifth line of the copyright statement giving "a book" in lowercase, identified as state "B", without priority.

One of the most popular and prolific American authors of the 19th century, Cooper's novels tackled themes that were of great concern in America's frontier expansion and the resulting conflicts between settler colonials and Indigenous peoples. Cooper is remembered particularly for The Leatherstocking Tales, a group of five novels following the life of frontiersman Natty Bumppo, of which The Last of the Mohicans is the second. Set during the French and Indian War, the novel takes place mostly in upstate New York, and centers on the journey of Cora and Alice Munro, the daughters of British Colonel George Munro, who are traveling to the safety of Fort William Henry. The threat of violence hovers over the party from the opening pages. Alice and Cora travel with an evolving cast of characters, including British soldiers, Native scouts, and the famous frontiersman Natty Bumppo. Tenuous alliances make for uneasy traveling conditions, as Cooper's characters are never quite sure whom to trust. Very Good (Item #6076)