Notions of the Americans in considered Cooper's first work of non-fiction despite a thin overlay of character and plot. Written in the form of a travel narrative, it addresses the widespread ignorance he encountered in Europe about the people and institutions of the United States. It is an exuberant chant of praise for American representative democracy, encapsulating the utopian vision that compelled Cooper's writing career over three decades.

The introduction draws on materials never before published. this edition, distinguished by the seal of the Center for Scholarly Editions, is the first resetting of the text since the initial American edition in 1828.