作者介紹 詹姆士．庫柏　James Fenimore Cooper 於1789年出生於美國新澤西州的柏靈頓。他在家中十二名兄弟姊妹中排行十一，父親是一位大地主，在紐約州開創了「庫柏鎮」，雙親皆是基督教貴格會的教徒。他在成長過程中，喜歡探索住家附近的田野森林。 他在十七歲時加入海軍，接下來五年的歲月都在航海中度過。二十歲時，他繼承家產，並在兩年後結婚。他曾有一段時間以農為業。他生活無虞，有時間從事閱讀之類的活動。他研究美國歷史和北美的生活。 有一次，在寫完一篇小說後，他跟妻子說，他要寫出更好的東西一點也不難。妻子鼓勵他嘗試，他開始爬格子，於1820年出版了第一本小說，之後持續創作，出版了四十餘本書籍，其中包括社會科學和政治評論。 他最有名的著作是五本「皮裹腿故事」系列，描寫美國拓荒者的故事，《最後的摩希根人》（1826年出版）即是當中的一本。這系列故事中的英雄人物叫做Natty Bumppo，他又名「鷹眼」或「皮裹腿」。 1826年到1833年期間，庫柏遊歷了歐洲，住過倫敦、巴黎和義大利的索倫托。他透過著作，主要要向讀者傳達社會責任、民主政治、美國歷史和美國的文化傳統。1851年，庫柏於家鄉庫柏鎮辭世。 James Fenimore Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey, USA in 1789. He was the eleventh of twelve children. His parents, William and Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper, were Quakers. His father was a successful landownerand he established the village of Cooperstown in New York State. When Cooper was growing up, he loved exploring the countryside and forests that surrounded his family’s estate. Cooper joined the Navy when he was 17 and traveled the seas for the next five years. He inherited his father’s estate when he was 20, and got married when he was 22. For a while he made a living from farming. He lived comfortably and had time for activities such as reading. He learned about American history and about the lives of the Native Americans. Once, after finishing a story he told his wife that he could easily write something better himself. She told him to try. He did, and published his first novel in 1820. He went on to write over 40 books, including works of social and political criticism. He is most famous for his five ‘Leatherstocking Tales’ set in the American frontier which include The Last of the Mohicans (1826). The hero of these novels is Natty Bumppo, who is also known as Hawkeye and as Leatherstocking. From 1826 to 1833 Cooper traveled in Europe and lived in London, Paris and Sorrento. Through his writing he aimed to teach his readers about social responsibilities, about democracy and about American history and heritage. Cooper died in 1851 at his home in Cooperstown. 作者相關著作：《The Last of the Mohicans(25K附MP3)》