Set near and on Lake Ontario in the 1750s, The Pathfinder is chronologically the third installation of James Fenimore Cooper’s gripping Leatherstocking Tales. While the French Indian War rages on, Mabel, a nineteen-year-old young woman, is travelling to see her father, Sergeant Thomas Dunham. Accompanied by her uncle and two Native Americans, Smashing Arrows and June Dew, Mabel treks through the dense forests of upstate New York, towards her father’s home on Lake Ontario. While the group approaches a river, they meet up with Natty Bumppo, a middle-aged hero who has earned the nickname “Pathfinder”, and his friends, Chingachgook and Jasper. The two parties agree to combine, because the forest has become a perilous place amid the French Indian War. As they continue their journey to Thomas Dunham’s house, an English castle on the shore of Lake Ontario, the group faces narrow escapes, dangerous terrain, and the consequences of the French Indian War. Though, even when they arrive at the home of Sergeant Thomas Dunham, their journey has barely begun. While he was glad to reunite with his daughter, Dunham’s true motivation for her arrival was his hopes to marry her to Pathfinder. However, Mabel has already fallen in love with Jasper. Still, in efforts to manipulate the couple, Dunham tells Pathfinder that Mabel wishes to marry him. While this love triangle persists, the group is challenged with battles, treason and the collateral damage of each.

Based off of James Fenimore Cooper’s real-life experience as a shipman, The Pathfinder explores a nautical setting, along with the pioneer setting of its predecessors. Placed chronologically third in the narrative of the Leatherstocking Tales, James Fenimore Cooper’s The Pathfinder combines adventure and romance. With a picturesque setting, treachery, love, and adventure, The Pathfinder remains to be a captivating narrative that explores new characters in the acclaimed series.

Now featuring a new, eye-catching cover design, and a modern, readable font, this edition of The Pathfinder by James Fenimore Cooper is an American classic that entertains with stories of passion and adventure, while allowing readers to immerse themselves in the climate and terrain of early America.