Deerslayer — Cooper/Wyeth, Scribner 1929

📖 The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper (Scribner’s 1929 printing) — the first chronologically of the Leatherstocking Tales, in the classic N.C. Wyeth illustrated edition with full-color plates and a pictorial cloth cover. This copy is Very Good, all plates present, with an early ownership inscription on the title page.

QUICK FACTS

• Title: The Deerslayer; or, The First War-Path (per title page)
• Author: James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)
• Illustrator: N.C. Wyeth
• Publisher: Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York
• Year: 1929 printing of the 1925 first edition (Wyeth illustrated)
• Format: Hardcover in pictorial cloth; no dust jacket issued for this edition
• ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Very Good — full report below

THE STORY

Set in 1740s western New York, The Deerslayer is the origin story of Natty Bumppo — the frontiersman known as Leatherstocking, Hawkeye, and Pathfinder. It opens Cooper’s five-novel cycle with a young trapper living among the Oneida and Mohawk nations on the shores of Lake George, caught between settlers and the Iroquois in the early years of the French and Indian War. The novel was first published in 1841.

THIS EDITION

This is a 1929 printing of Scribner’s celebrated N.C. Wyeth illustrated edition, first issued in 1925. It carries the full set of Wyeth color plates, an “Illustrations” list page, and Cooper’s Preface to the Leatherstocking Tales. The title page reads “The Deerslayer; or, The First War-Path,” with New York / Charles Scribner’s Sons / 1929.

COVER ART & ILLUSTRATIONS

The pictorial cloth cover is a full-color Wyeth design: a Native American in profile, rifle in hand, set against dense green and gold foliage within a cream border. The spine carries gilt lettering — THE DEERSLAYER / JAMES FENIMORE COOPER / ILLUSTRATED BY N.C. WYETH / SCRIBNERS — and the front board is lined with a pictorial pastedown of Wyeth’s monochrome Indian figures. Interior plates include a sunlit forest scene with a trapper raising his rifle on a rocky outcrop, and a cool blue night scene of a figure in a canoe beneath a crescent moon.

WHY IT MATTERS

• N.C. Wyeth’s Deerslayer plates are among the most celebrated interpretations of American frontier literature; his 1925 Scribner edition is the standard collector reference for the series.
• The Leatherstocking Tales shaped the mythology of the American West — Natty Bumppo was adapted into films as early as 1920 (The Deerslayer and Chingachgook, with Bela Lugosi).
• Full-color plates in a pictorial cloth binding make this a display piece for any home library.

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? A 1929 printing of the N.C. Wyeth illustrated first edition, published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1925.

Is it signed or inscribed? Not signed by Cooper or Wyeth; the title page bears an early handwritten ownership inscription (“Jack Robinson”).

What condition is it in? Very Good — cloth boards with light rubbing, gilt spine lettering intact, all plates present. Full report below.

FOR COLLECTORS

A complete Wyeth Deerslayer in VG: full color plate set, pictorial pastedown, and a 1929 printing of the 1925 first edition — the most sought-after Cooper/Wyeth pairing for frontier literature collections.

Condition Report

• Overall Grade: Very Good (VG)
• Cover & Spine: The cloth-bound boards show some age-appropriate rubbing and minor edge wear consistent with the 1929 publication date. Gilt lettering on spine remains visible. Spine head and tail corners are lightly frayed.
• Dust Jacket: N/A
• Text Block & Pages: Lightly age-toned with standard cream/tan coloration. Binding is stable with no major hinge separation.
• Binding: Solid. Light bumping to corners. Hinges tight, not starting or split. No loose, torn or folded pages, all plates included.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-09-08

1 in stock