The Water-witch: or the Skimmer of the Seas

This unabridged and complete new edition of The Water-Witch is unlike any reproduction of a vintage printing available (as is apparent in Previewing other offerings). It is unlike both the new formats which use small print to pack the story into half the pages (or sell half the book), and typical vintage republications, whose distracting stray marks and printer artifacts mar the reading experience. Instead, the Quid Pro edition is in the quality collection of Digitally Remastered Books?, a process that keeps the nostalgia and font size of earlier printings while substantially reducing stray marks, broken letters, missing words, and blotched print. It offers a more pleasing reading experience while being true to its vintage, legible printing. Both "volumes" are included.

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) was one of the most popular and creative American writers of the early nineteenth century. His novels painted vivid pictures of frontier life, the American Indian, Revolutionary history, and seafaring ways, and his themes were often romantic in several senses of the word. He also wrote several works of nonfiction, including essays on politics and naval history. Before he took up writing, he attended Yale (where he was expelled for an explosive prank), sailed in commercial shipping, and served in the U. S. Navy.

Later, as an established author, Cooper spent seven years in Europe, writing books that included The Water-Witch. It drew on backdrops he had developed successfully in earlier works, including the thrilling life and mystique of sailing and navigation, as well as pre-Revolution themes of resisting corrupt British taxes.

But it is also a romance. Its impulsive and unconventional heroine, Alida de Barbérie, hears tales of sailing and smuggling from a mysterious stranger. Intrigued, she digs deeper, but may discover he is more dangerous than she imagined.

A true classic of literary fiction from Quid Pro Books.