James Fenimore Cooper 
The Pathfinder 

While James Fenimore Cooper’s 1840 novel ’The Pathfinder’ is the fourth installment in ’The Leatherstocking Tales’ series, the action takes place third chronologically. Set amongst the wilderness of the Great Lakes region of the United States during the French and Indian War, ’The Pathfinder’ is a classic tale of early American frontiersman Natty Bumpo in which he finds himself rather uncharacteristically falling in love, a romance which pits him against his fundamental mission in life. ’The Pathfinder’ is a classic tale of early American life, which Cooper himself considered one of his best.