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Precaution
Paperback
Publisher: Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Published: Mar 30 2026
Pages: 292
Weight: 0.78
Height: 0.73 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Precaution is the first novel by American author James Fenimore Cooper, published in 1820.
The novel was written after a challenge made by his wife Susan. Cooper was reading aloud to her from an English novel but found it dull. He threw the book aside and declared he could write a better book than that himself. Susan Cooper challenged her husband to make good on the statement. The result was Precaution, which was published anonymously and instead accredited to an English woman. The publisher, A. T. Goodrich, later surprised the public by revealing that Precaution was authored by a man from New York.
Cooper later noted that, in writing Precaution, he embraced a crude effort to describe foreign manners. He responded to critics who thought he should focus on American topics by using a more patriotic theme in his next book, The Spy. (wikipedia.org)
About the author
James Fenimore Cooper was an American novelist best known as one of the earliest and most influential writers of historical fiction in the United States. He was born on September 15, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey, and grew up in Cooperstown, New York, a frontier town founded by his father. This early exposure to wilderness life and encounters between settlers and Native Americans would later shape many of his most famous stories. Cooper lived during a period when the young nation was still defining its identity, and his work helped give American literature a distinct voice.
Before becoming a writer, Cooper pursued a varied education and career path. He briefly attended Yale College but was expelled due to disciplinary issues. Afterward, he joined the U.S. Navy, where he gained firsthand experience with maritime life. These naval experiences strongly influenced several of his novels, especially those focused on the sea. Cooper did not initially plan to be an author; legend has it that he began writing after claiming he could write a better novel than one he had just read.
Cooper achieved lasting fame with The Leatherstocking Tales, a series of five novels that includes The Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer, and The Pioneers. These books feature the iconic frontiersman Natty Bumppo and explore themes of nature, civilization, and cultural conflict. Cooper's portrayal of Native Americans was more sympathetic and complex than that of many writers of his time, though modern readers still debate aspects of his representation. His vivid descriptions of the American wilderness helped establish the frontier as a central myth in American culture.
Later in life, Cooper lived both in the United States and Europe, where he became involved in political and social debates. He often used his writing to criticize materialism, social inequality, and what he saw as the moral decline of society. Although his popularity declined toward the end of his life, his influence endured. James Fenimore Cooper died on September 14, 1851, but his novels remain important for their role in shaping American literary traditions and national identity.
23 different editions
Also available
Precaution: first novel written by American author James Fenimore Cooper.: James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper, James Fenimore
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Also from
Cooper, James Fenimore
The Last of the Mohicans (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Leatherstocking Tales (Complete and Unabridged): The Pioneers, the Last of the Mohicans, the Prairie, the Pathfinder and the Deerslayer
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Leatherstocking Tales (Complete and Unabridged): The Pioneers, the Last of the Mohicans, the Prairie, the Pathfinder and the Deerslayer
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Heidenmauer; or, the Benedictines. A Legend of the Rhine. by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Spy - A Tale of the Neutral Ground (Espionage Thriller Classic): Historical Espionage Novel Set in the Time of the American Revolutionary War
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Deerslayer (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Cooper, James Fenimore
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Precaution: first novel written by American author James Fenimore Cooper.: James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Chainbearer; or The Littlepage Manuscripts, By J. Fenimore Cooper A NOVEL: ( complete in one volume ) New edition
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Pilot by James Fenimore Cooper, Fiction, Historical, Classics, Action & Adventure
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The headsman; or, The Abbaye des Vignerons. A tale. By J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Wing-and-wing; or, Le Feu-follet. A tale. By J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Last of the Mohicans: A Frontier Novel of the French and Indian War
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Large Print - The Last of the Mohicans, Volume 2 of 2 - Grand Type Collector's Edition - Matte Hardcover with Dust Jacket (Large Print Edition)
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Wynadotté (Historical Novel): The Hutted Knoll - Historical Novel Set During the American Revolution
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The Headsman; or, the Abbaye Des Vignerons. A Tale, by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Water-Witch; or, the Skimmer of the Seas. A Tale. by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Deerslayer; or, the First War-Path. A Tale. by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Le Dernier des Mohicans: Un roman d'aventures de James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Bravo: A Tale. by J. Fenimore Cooper ... Illustrated from Drawings by F. O. C. Darley.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The History of the Navy of the United States of America: Abridged in One Volume
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The American Democrat: Or, Hints on the Social and Civic Relations of the United States of America
Cooper, James Fenimore
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The American Democrat: Or, Hints on the Social and Civic Relations of the United States of America
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Pioneers, Or, The Sources of the Susquehanna: A Descriptive Tale
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Cooper's the Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757
Cooper, James Fenimore
Dunbar, John Brown
Hardcover
Cooper's the Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757
Cooper, James Fenimore
Dunbar, John Brown
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El Último De Los Mohicanos
Cooper, James Fenimore
Wight, John Green 1842-
Parkhurst, Helen M.
Hardcover
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 1 - in large print
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 1 - in large print
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Hardcover
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 2 - in large print
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Paperback
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 2 - in large print
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Junior Classic Book 7 (the Last of the Mohicans, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Mayor of Casterbridge, the War of the Worlds)
Cooper, James Fenimore
Irving, Washington
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El Último De Los Mohicanos
Wight, John Green 1842-
Parkhurst, Helen M.
Cooper, James Fenimore
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James Fenimore Cooper's the Last of the Mohicans
Richardson, Charles Francis
Cooper, James Fenimore
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A Guide in the Wilderness or the History of the First Settlement in the Western Counties of New York
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, William
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