# Is "The Last of the Mohicans; A Narrative of 1757" by James Fenimore Cooper a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last of the Mohicans; A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper (Carey & Lea, 1826) is identified by: Lea, Philadelphia, 1826, 2 volumes, original boards with paper spine labels (BAL 3833; Grolier American 100, no. US first is the 2-volume Carey & Lea, Philadelphia, 1826, in boards.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US first, H. C. Carey & I. Lea, Philadelphia, 1826, 2 volumes, original boards with paper spine labels (BAL 3833
- Grolier American 100, no
- Spiller & Blackburn 7)
- Verified first-state points in Volume I: page 89 misnumbered 93, and chapter XVI misnumbered XIV. Volume II first state ('State A') reads 'a Book' in the fifth line of the copyright notice
- Confirm the 1826 imprint and the 2-volume boards with spine labels
- Publisher imprint reads Carey & Lea
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Fenimore Cooper |
| Publisher | Carey & Lea |
| Year | 1826 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US first, H. C. Carey & I. Lea, Philadelphia, 1826, 2 volumes, original boards with paper spine labels (BAL 3833 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US first, H. C. Carey & I. Lea, Philadelphia, 1826, 2 volumes, original boards with paper spine labels (BAL 3833; Grolier American 100, no. 34; Spiller & Blackburn 7). Verified first-state points in Volume I: page 89 misnumbered 93, and chapter XVI misnumbered XIV. Volume II first state ('State A') reads 'a Book' in the fifth line of the copyright notice. Confirm the 1826 imprint and the 2-volume boards with spine labels.

## Is this the true first?
US first is the 2-volume Carey & Lea, Philadelphia, 1826, in boards. The London editions (John Miller, 3 vols.) are near-simultaneous; precedence is debated, but the Philadelphia Carey & Lea in boards is taken as the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints lack the original boards and paper spine labels and the first-state misnumberings. The 2-volume 1826 Carey & Lea in boards, with the page the printed price and chapter XVI/XIV misnumberings and the Vol. II 'a Book' copyright reading, identifies the US first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last of the Mohicans; A Narrative of 1757* by James Fenimore Cooper a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-of-the-mohicans-a-narrative-of-1757
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.