[Letter] 1828 March 11, London [to] Cary, Lea, & Cary, Philadelphia / J[ames]. Fenimore Cooper.

The verso is date stamped in New York. See also additional letters and manuscript fragments from Cooper in the collection.

Cooper discusses the publication of his _Letters_ [probably his _Letter of J. Fenimore Cooper to General Lafayette_ (1831) which touts that republics are more economical than monarchies] which he feels have a higher mercantile value than the $1500 being offered, but since the recipients think so much of "the poor Prairie" then he will let them have it. He mentions trouble with critics and goes on to evaluate _Red Rover_ (1828), stating that in terms of "character and dramatic dialogue the first and last volumes, (English) are certainly the best things I have written." Cooper also discusses a recent book on Lafayette, stating that there may be some interest in translating the book, and assuring the publishers that it won't interfere with the selling of his own work. Cooper plans to embark on a six-month tour of Europe including visits to the south, then to Berlin and Amsterdam and up into the Arctic Circle; he will write "sketches of what I shall see with American [underscored] eyes." He closes with a statement about the necessity of copyrights for creating a national literature. Cooper, the 11th of 12 children born to the man who founded Cooperstown and built Ostego Hall, is remembered for his books of sailing and wilderness adventure, including the Leatherstocking Series featuring Natty Bumppo, the most well-known of which is _Last of the Mohicans_ (1826). In addition to enjoying the life of a country gentleman in New York, Cooper also traveled and wrote extensively in Europe.