The Spy - Hardcover

Cooper, James Fenimore

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1603128433 ISBN 13: 9781603128438

Publisher: Aegypan, 2007

Synopsis

Harry Birsch is thought to be a loyalist living in the American colonies, but when George Washington offers him money in exchange for sensitive information about the British, Harry scoffs at the idea. He exchanges the information not for the monetary gains, but what he can do for America. And so he begins a journey in which he spies for the Americans in an attempt to win the war. In doing so, he must masquerade as a traitor. The real truth is the secret that can never be revealed lest the reputation of all he holds dear will fall.

James Fenimore Cooper is best known for his "leather stocking" novels concerning American Indian life and the frontier. His most famous novel is Last of the Mohicans. The Spy is the first novel with espionage as the main theme and is the novel that garnered him much fame.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Inspired by accusations of venality leveled at the men who captured Major Andre (Benedict Arnold's co-conspirator, executed for espionage in 1780), Cooper's novel centers on Harry Birch, a common man wrongly suspected by well-born Patriots of being a spy for the British. Even George Washington, who supports Birch, misreads the man, and when Washington offers him payment for information vital to the Patriot's cause, Birch scorns the money and asserts that his action were motivated not by financial reward, but by his devotion to the fight for independence. A historical adventure tale reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels, The Spy is also a parable of the American experience, a reminder that the nation's survival, like its Revolution, depends on judging people by their actions, not their class or reputations.

About the Author:

James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851) was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature. He lived most of his life in Cooperstown, New York, which was founded by his father William on property that he owned. Cooper was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church and, in his later years, contributed generously to it. Before embarking on his career as a writer, he served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman, which greatly influenced many of his novels and other writings. The novel that launched his career was The Spy, a tale about counterespionage set during the Revolutionary War and published in 1821. He also wrote numerous sea stories and his best-known works are five historical novels of the frontier period known as the Leatherstocking Tales. Among naval historians, Cooper's works on the early U.S. Navy have been well received, but they were sometimes criticized by his contemporaries. Among his most famous works is the Romantic novel The Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as his masterpiece.

About this edition

• Publisher: Aegypan
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1603128433
• ISBN 13: 9781603128438
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 348
• Editor: Barnes Nathaniel Waring