Miles Wallingford

by James Fenimore Cooper Book 2 in the Miles Wallingford series.

First published 1844

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3.2(30)

Miles Wallingford continues the life of Cooper’s young merchant seaman as voyages abroad are matched by growing responsibilities at home. Commercial hazards, losses and the changing fortunes of Clawbonny force Miles to measure success by more than command at sea, while his relationship with Lucy Hardinge becomes increasingly central to the future he imagines.

The continuation brings maritime independence into direct contact with land, inheritance and domestic obligation. Cooper uses Miles’s movement between ship and New York society to show the opportunities and insecurities of the early republic, where trade can create wealth quickly but family position and property remain vulnerable to debt, misjudgement and social pressure.