The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea

In 1823, Cooper began writing [i]The Pilot,[/i] which he saw as a sea novel that seamen would appreciate for its fidelity and yet one that landsmen could understand. The hero of [i]The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea[/i] – modeled on John Paul Jones – leads the American Navy in dangerous raids on the English coast. James Fenimore Cooper's fourth novelhelped start the genre of sea novels.