How long does it take to read The Spy?
a tale of the neutral ground
The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper takes about 7 hours 46 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 7 hours 46 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1821. 424 pages, about 116,600 words. Written for children.
16 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 12 hours 57 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 7 hours 46 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 4 hours 52 minutes |
The page count is the median across 172 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
Inspired by accusations of venality leveled at the men who captured Major Andre (Benedict Arnold's co-conspirator, executed for espionage in 1780), Cooper's novel centers on Harry Birch, a common man wrongly suspected by well-born Patriots of being a spy for the British. Even George Washington, who supports Birch, misreads the man, and when Washington offers him payment for information vital to the Patriot's cause, Birch scorns the money and asserts that his action were motivated not by financial reward, but by his devotion to the fight for independence. A historical adventure tale reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels, The Spy is also a parable of the American experience, a reminder that the nation's survival, like its Revolution, depends on judging people by their actions, not their class or reputations.
Subjects: History, Fiction, United States in fiction, Juvenile fiction, Historical fiction, New york (state), fiction
