"Precaution" was Cooper's first book. It was published anonymously in 1820. In 1823, he published "The Pioneers". This book was the first of the Leatherstocking novels. These stories became famous for the fictional character of an American woodsman called Natty Bumppo. Cooper's most famous novel "Last of the Mohicans" was published in 1826. It became one of the most widely read American novels of the 19th century.