By:  Progress for Westhampton Beach

190 Years ago this month the Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper was published by Carey and Lea. Cooper was paid a $5,000 advance.  The story was set on present day Lake George, and the book takes its place on that long list of “the book is better than the movie.”  In this case make that movies (plural) with adaptations being produced in 1920, 1932, 1936, 1947, 1950, 1963, and most recently in 1992 starring Daniel Day-Lewis.  The Complete Leatherstocking Tales is comprised of 5 books including the Last of the Mohicans each worth reading just to smell the pine trees and the fresh air.