Just after he published the work now considered his masterpiece, the epic 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans, the popular American writer JAMES FENIMORE COOPER (1789-1851) decamped for Europe, where he would live and travel for several years. Here, in this little-read collection of letters from his travels, Cooper shares his wry insights on life as an American abroad for readers back home. Unappreciated as a travel writer, Cooper turns his keen eye upon:. custom-house civility. fashion in America and English costume. London pickpockets. horse-racing in Paris. ladies in coffee-houses. diplomatic etiquette. English prejudice against Americans. the gardens of Versailles. on being presented at foreign courts. Continental manners. and much more.