The Journals of Lewis and Clark (National Geographic Adventure Classics)

I got a bit tired of the continuous description of the rivers, but I did so enjoy hearing their reports when they met with the Indians, and finding out if they were hostile or not. They were out in all kinds of weather. Such strong men.

On the surface these journals of Lewis and Clark are dry and limited in their perspective. Considering the men themselves, their undertaking and the era this is not at all unexpected. While adventurous, their journey was a natural extension of the expanding western civilization of the time. What is extraordinary is to relax one's contemporary thought process and imagine these places, people and events as they were or might have been in their original era and realize that all of this took place a mere 200 years ago.

This book should be required reading in American History classes. Maybe you need to be older to appreciate it, since it isn't exactly a page-turner. But it is a fascinating look at what the environment was in which the expedition took place. And the survival skills of the Expedition team were amazing. To say nothing of the diplomatic skills that kept them all alive!

This book should be required reading in American History classes. Maybe you need to be older to appreciate it, since it isn't exactly a page-turner. But it is a fascinating look at what the environment was in which the expedition took place. And the survival skills of the Expedition team were amazing. To say nothing of the diplomatic skills that kept them all alive!

The book got roughed up a little in shipping, but it is totally usable. This is a thick book, but the top corner got bent over pretty badly. It would take something really heavy to bend it that completely. It was shipped in a really light weight bag. If the book had been ordered as something special, it would be a disappointment, but I am just going to read the book.

Incredible amount of detail, almost always repeated. However, if that's one's interest, this is the book for you. The callous disdain for native Americans throughout the expedition was overwhelming, and the needless slaughter of wildlife, beyond that which was necessary for substance, reflect the attitudes of many early European Americans.

Overall, a fact filled travelogue, but without maps to assist in reading, you will need additional reference material.

I am disappointed DeVoto's edition appears to omit details of Charles Floyd's death and burial. As shown on the Ken Burns video there were some poignant passages such as Floyd asking Clark to write him a letter and Floyd dying with a "great deal of composure" as well as the campsite at the mouth of "Floyd's River," all of which DeVoto chooses to omit. To be fair, I haven't finished the book yet, but am already past the Sioux City portion with mention only of Clark's "Biliose Chorlick" diagnosis and alarm at Floyd's rapid decline, so it doesn't look good for additional mention of Floyd. So now I'm wondering what other good parts have been omitted. Devoto's lengthy intro is very insightful and gives good perspective on why the journey was so important.

There's quite a few versions of Lewis & Clark's journals. This looked to be the shortest or nearly the shortest version (about 380 pages) and published in a convenient paperback size book, so I chose it. It's obviously heavily edited but that's expected in such a version. In hindsight I would have been better off choosing a larger version to read, but there were time considerations. Some of the entries were interesting, but most of the trip was just hunting for food and fighting off mosquitoes and other not so glamorous chores. Well, to be fair, some people may enjoy that aspect of it. My primary interest are Lewis and Clark's interactions with the Native Americans. There's some good stuff here, but I'm sure a lot of it was edited out. When I next read about Lewis & Clark I will pick a book written by an historian that gives a better overview and historical perspective.

29 months, 8000 miles. No accurate maps, trains, cars, planes or even internet. :)

The men had to be soldiers/sailors/explorers, geographers, geologists, diplomats, financiers, historians, shoemakers, hunters, cooks, woodcutters, priests and doctors. And thank goodness for their military background too, because, despite Lewis, Clark & Co. having only the best and most peaceful intentions (essentially learning about the American Indians' culture and kindly warning them of future development), the vast majority of "natives" were not exactly friendly to the group of 40+ that set out in spring 1804.

Some comment that the Journals of Lewis and Clark are not particularly easy to read, especially if you're unaccustomed to Old English or travelogues; but that's a good thing. Schools should absolutely utilize these diaries instead of the revisionist balderdash lazy teachers throw at kids today. This is a non-fiction book for those willing to appreciate real life adventure and factual US history.

Consider also that Lewis and Clark had to secure thousands of miles of land against hostility and, even more challenging, reconcile and bring peace to violent tribes who had seen centuries of war and cruelty against each other. These were bellicose domains of treachery and ferocity they entered, some more so than others (like the arrogant Sioux, who were always at war, and would not live in peace with anyone, especially whites, no matter how many 'councils' were set up by the men).

And yet they survived and succeeded.

Later, when Wm. Clark served as governor of the Missouri Territory and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, he became beloved more than any white man -- as they trusted him. Thank goodness, as would you want 75% of this great nation to be undeveloped and cultivated today, or do you prefer national parks, farms, industry, technology and freedom?

I have read some excellent books regarding the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and physically traced portions of their journey in Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Oregon, but reading the actual journals made me feel, pardon the cliché, as though I was viewing the nascent American West right alongside them. Simply fascinating first-hand accounts.

The book is both very historical and entertaining: It really gives us the feeling of being there with Lewis and Clark, we hear about their struggles, their unknowns, and their discoveries. We hear of things they expect to find, but end up not finding, and it really gives us a perspective of how little Americans knew about the west, and how wrong they were in many instances of what they thought they knew. The reader gets a great understanding of how strong a force winter was, and the difficulties it caused not only for this trip, but for life in general during the early 19th century. The preface and introduction provide some good background info, the book is handy for both historical research and anyone who is looking to find an entertaining read.

When I was about halfway through this abridgment, I compared it in a bookstore to the abridgment by Gary Moulton (The Lewis and Clark Journals (Abridged Edition)), editor of the complete edition of the Journals. Whereas Brandt, the editor of the text under review, "modernizes" the language, correcting the spelling and syntax, and combining fragments into grammatically correct sentences, Moulton leaves the spelling and syntax untouched, and only abridges the text to compress the Journals into a single volume.

I expected to prefer Moulton's version, simply because it was less altered, truer to the authors' intent. But, of course, Lewis and Clark did not intend to misspell words - some words in multiple ways - or to use odd, jarring punctuation. The Journals as published by Moulton are Field Drafts, unaltered, which would have been corrected and refined before publication, had Lewis lived to do the necessary work. But yet, there is something robust, vivid and historically present about the uncorrected text; and if the abridgments were equivalent in content, I may have discovered a preference for Moulton's over Brandt's.

But I found Brandt's abridgment more interesting in content - and naturally less linguistically obtrusive. In the section I randomly compared (I don't remember which), Brandt excluded far less than Moulton, and the extent of the exclusions by Moulton were not apparent from the text, leaving the impression that only a sentence or two may have been excised, when in fact full, rich paragraphs were missing from the page.

It isn't that I don't have complaints about Brandt's choices. He often summarizes what he excludes, and many times I wished he had left in what he kept out. There are other abridgments of the Journals in print and whether one is "better" than another, I cannot say. This one, however, is good, and if you're looking for an abridgment to read that reads smoothly and doesn't require decoding skills you might certainly have but would rather not use, consider this edition. When you're finished you might find yourself wanting to read the entire multi-volume Journal, misspellings, sentence fragments, and all.

The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark, 7-volume set

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 13-Volume Set

This work has been edited for the general reader. Many entries have been considerably shortened in the hope of gaining a wider public. For the most part only the highlights are kept, being the actual journal in its full version is so extensive. Most of the original punctuation's and spellings are kept (this gives it a feel of nostalgia). There is repetition. But this, I would think would be impossible to overcome. DeVoto has "produced a straight forward text which could be read without distraction".

The introduction is lengthy; discussed are: the importance of the Louisiana Purchase; the history and purpose leading up to the exploration; earlier expeditions, such as Thompsons' and Mckenzies'; and Lewis' and Clark's background. This was said of these two great men: "The two agreed and worked together with a mutuality unknown elsewhere in the history of exploration and rare in any kind of human association", and "Ingenuity and resourcefulness [by Lewis and Clark] in the field are so continuous that a casual reader may not notice them".

Each chapter is identified by the author whose journal it is taken from, such as Lewis, Clark, Biddle, Orduray, and others. The journal writings have been left as original, giving it that early America mystique. On the 14th of May, 1804, 32 men embark in search of a trade route from the Atlantic to the Pacific:

Dangers lurk around every curve. Indian, grizzly, and immense animal herd encounters are prevalent throughout the journey. To think of the rich bounty contained in the wilderness of the past is beyond comprehension. With leadership that is both strong and wise, Lewis and Clark take this large party of men on a blind epic journey. And on looking back, it was relatively safe. The treatment of the Natives is to be commended, even though many tribes were untrustworthy and warring to other Nations. Trade with the Indians was essential if they were to survive. Also recorded were observations and behaviors of the different tribes. A few of these tribes possessed a huge wealth in horses. Lewis and Clark's party purchased these horses both for traveling overland (which I was never aware) and for food. They did not seem to be displeased with eating horse-meat, dog or roots, which they bought and traded for. The days spent on the Pacific coast were to be the most miserable. The medical remedies used were almost comical; some that were proved beneficial have since been lost through time. The journey ends over 28 months later on the 25th of September, 1806.

I don't know if we can understand completely, how important this expedition was for our country. The undertaking involved in putting this book together from the hundreds of pages of numerous journals is truly amazing. And finally: Appendix I contains Jefferson's instructions; Appendix II is the personnel (32+); and appendix III is the list of specimens brought back.

Wish you well
Scott

I recently took a college class about the hidden history of the West--and it was a great class, one of the best ever--but one of the books we read in there was all about the Native American perspective of the Lewis and Clark expedition and while it was interesting to hear that take on the subject, I couldn't have been more at odds with the discussion that followed, most of which had to do with the low characters of the men of the expedition, the subversive agenda behind it all, and the thought that the world would have been a better place if the entire undertaking had never taken place.
That's because, to me, there has never been anything cooler than the Corps of Discovery, than the journey West, than Lewis and Clark and their whole ragged crew.
Actually, I take that back: the journals they kept...those are even cooler.
From Lewis's insightful reflections, to Clark's lyrical descriptions, to their hilariously bad attempts at spelling, to the thought of moving unknowing into America at its most pristine, these journals have it all. This is the quintessential American adventure story, an amazing account of men against the unknown. This edited collection of the journals, well-compiled by Bernard DeVoto, is one of the greatest things I have ever read, and ever since reading it, I have had an undeniable love for Lewis and Clark, and for their expedition.
Words fail me, but they didn't fail these guys, because here is the West of 1803, vividly rendered for us all to see today. When I first read these in 1999, they convinced me to move into the wild, onto the water, and I spent seven months afterward living out of a canoe...keeping a journal of my own.
If you haven't read these journals, do yourself a favor, and do so now: read them. DeVoto has already made it easy for you, by picking out all the most interesting parts, and by putting them in context with a well-written introduction. You need this book, and you may not even know it.

This is the record of one of the great exploratory journeys in American history. Following the Louisiana Purchase President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis to undertake a voyage through the vast newly acquired territory of the West. He invited to join him William Clark and their mission of thirty- three set out on their great adventure. They would in the course of it meet with many dangers and get through them all. Their guide the Indian woman Sacajewa and her husband Charbonneau were important in helping them . They met with many obstacles but displayed inveterate courage . In December 1803 Lewis would write in his journal of 'the joy' of seeing the ocean.

The achievements of their voyage according to Wikipedia of great historical significance.

"The U.S. gained an extensive knowledge of the geography of the American West in the form of maps of major rivers and mountain ranges

Discovered and described 178 new plants and 122 species and subspecies of animals (see List of species described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition)

Opened American fur trade in the West

Paved the way for peaceful relations with the Indians

Established a precedent for Army exploration of the West

Strengthened the U.S. claim to Oregon Territory

Focused U.S. and media attention on the West

Produced the first literature about the West (the Lewis and Clark diaries)

Made themselves heroes throughout the country and big names in Early American History

Helped show pioneers some of the Oregon Trail."

Their diaries are a record of the journey and a classic document of the great American jouney in opening up a continent.

The book is both very historical and entertaining: It really gives us the feeling of being there with Lewis and Clark, we hear about their struggles, their unknowns, and their discoveries. We hear of things they expect to find, but end up not finding, and it really gives us a perspective of how little Americans knew about the west, and how wrong they were in many instances of what they thought they knew. The reader gets a great understanding of how strong a force winter was, and the difficulties it caused not only for this trip, but for life in general during the early 19th century. The preface and introduction provide some good background info, the book is handy for both historical research and anyone who is looking to find an entertaining read.

When I was about halfway through this abridgment, I compared it in a bookstore to the abridgment by Gary Moulton (The Lewis and Clark Journals (Abridged Edition)), editor of the complete edition of the Journals. Whereas Brandt, the editor of the text under review, "modernizes" the language, correcting the spelling and syntax, and combining fragments into grammatically correct sentences, Moulton leaves the spelling and syntax untouched, and only abridges the text to compress the Journals into a single volume.

I expected to prefer Moulton's version, simply because it was less altered, truer to the authors' intent. But, of course, Lewis and Clark did not intend to misspell words - some words in multiple ways - or to use odd, jarring punctuation. The Journals as published by Moulton are Field Drafts, unaltered, which would have been corrected and refined before publication, had Lewis lived to do the necessary work. But yet, there is something robust, vivid and historically present about the uncorrected text; and if the abridgments were equivalent in content, I may have discovered a preference for Moulton's over Brandt's.

But I found Brandt's abridgment more interesting in content - and naturally less linguistically obtrusive. In the section I randomly compared (I don't remember which), Brandt excluded far less than Moulton, and the extent of the exclusions by Moulton were not apparent from the text, leaving the impression that only a sentence or two may have been excised, when in fact full, rich paragraphs were missing from the page.

It isn't that I don't have complaints about Brandt's choices. He often summarizes what he excludes, and many times I wished he had left in what he kept out. There are other abridgments of the Journals in print and whether one is "better" than another, I cannot say. This one, however, is good, and if you're looking for an abridgment to read that reads smoothly and doesn't require decoding skills you might certainly have but would rather not use, consider this edition. When you're finished you might find yourself wanting to read the entire multi-volume Journal, misspellings, sentence fragments, and all.

The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark, 7-volume set

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 13-Volume Set

This work has been edited for the general reader. Many entries have been considerably shortened in the hope of gaining a wider public. For the most part only the highlights are kept, being the actual journal in its full version is so extensive. Most of the original punctuation's and spellings are kept (this gives it a feel of nostalgia). There is repetition. But this, I would think would be impossible to overcome. DeVoto has "produced a straight forward text which could be read without distraction".

The introduction is lengthy; discussed are: the importance of the Louisiana Purchase; the history and purpose leading up to the exploration; earlier expeditions, such as Thompsons' and Mckenzies'; and Lewis' and Clark's background. This was said of these two great men: "The two agreed and worked together with a mutuality unknown elsewhere in the history of exploration and rare in any kind of human association", and "Ingenuity and resourcefulness [by Lewis and Clark] in the field are so continuous that a casual reader may not notice them".

Each chapter is identified by the author whose journal it is taken from, such as Lewis, Clark, Biddle, Orduray, and others. The journal writings have been left as original, giving it that early America mystique. On the 14th of May, 1804, 32 men embark in search of a trade route from the Atlantic to the Pacific:

Dangers lurk around every curve. Indian, grizzly, and immense animal herd encounters are prevalent throughout the journey. To think of the rich bounty contained in the wilderness of the past is beyond comprehension. With leadership that is both strong and wise, Lewis and Clark take this large party of men on a blind epic journey. And on looking back, it was relatively safe. The treatment of the Natives is to be commended, even though many tribes were untrustworthy and warring to other Nations. Trade with the Indians was essential if they were to survive. Also recorded were observations and behaviors of the different tribes. A few of these tribes possessed a huge wealth in horses. Lewis and Clark's party purchased these horses both for traveling overland (which I was never aware) and for food. They did not seem to be displeased with eating horse-meat, dog or roots, which they bought and traded for. The days spent on the Pacific coast were to be the most miserable. The medical remedies used were almost comical; some that were proved beneficial have since been lost through time. The journey ends over 28 months later on the 25th of September, 1806.

I don't know if we can understand completely, how important this expedition was for our country. The undertaking involved in putting this book together from the hundreds of pages of numerous journals is truly amazing. And finally: Appendix I contains Jefferson's instructions; Appendix II is the personnel (32+); and appendix III is the list of specimens brought back.

Wish you well
Scott

I recently took a college class about the hidden history of the West--and it was a great class, one of the best ever--but one of the books we read in there was all about the Native American perspective of the Lewis and Clark expedition and while it was interesting to hear that take on the subject, I couldn't have been more at odds with the discussion that followed, most of which had to do with the low characters of the men of the expedition, the subversive agenda behind it all, and the thought that the world would have been a better place if the entire undertaking had never taken place.
That's because, to me, there has never been anything cooler than the Corps of Discovery, than the journey West, than Lewis and Clark and their whole ragged crew.
Actually, I take that back: the journals they kept...those are even cooler.
From Lewis's insightful reflections, to Clark's lyrical descriptions, to their hilariously bad attempts at spelling, to the thought of moving unknowing into America at its most pristine, these journals have it all. This is the quintessential American adventure story, an amazing account of men against the unknown. This edited collection of the journals, well-compiled by Bernard DeVoto, is one of the greatest things I have ever read, and ever since reading it, I have had an undeniable love for Lewis and Clark, and for their expedition.
Words fail me, but they didn't fail these guys, because here is the West of 1803, vividly rendered for us all to see today. When I first read these in 1999, they convinced me to move into the wild, onto the water, and I spent seven months afterward living out of a canoe...keeping a journal of my own.
If you haven't read these journals, do yourself a favor, and do so now: read them. DeVoto has already made it easy for you, by picking out all the most interesting parts, and by putting them in context with a well-written introduction. You need this book, and you may not even know it.

This is the record of one of the great exploratory journeys in American history. Following the Louisiana Purchase President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis to undertake a voyage through the vast newly acquired territory of the West. He invited to join him William Clark and their mission of thirty- three set out on their great adventure. They would in the course of it meet with many dangers and get through them all. Their guide the Indian woman Sacajewa and her husband Charbonneau were important in helping them . They met with many obstacles but displayed inveterate courage . In December 1803 Lewis would write in his journal of 'the joy' of seeing the ocean.

The achievements of their voyage according to Wikipedia of great historical significance.

"The U.S. gained an extensive knowledge of the geography of the American West in the form of maps of major rivers and mountain ranges

Discovered and described 178 new plants and 122 species and subspecies of animals (see List of species described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition)

Opened American fur trade in the West

Paved the way for peaceful relations with the Indians

Established a precedent for Army exploration of the West

Strengthened the U.S. claim to Oregon Territory

Focused U.S. and media attention on the West

Produced the first literature about the West (the Lewis and Clark diaries)

Made themselves heroes throughout the country and big names in Early American History

Helped show pioneers some of the Oregon Trail."

Their diaries are a record of the journey and a classic document of the great American jouney in opening up a continent.

It took me about six months reading this book off and on to get through the whole thing, but it was well worth it. Anyone who enjoys American history absolutely must read this. I have not read any of the other editions, so I cannot speak about how this one compares with the others, but I can say that despite many times having to slog through a lot of boring detail, there are so many fascinating passages that overall, it was a lot of fun. One of the most interesting things about reading the book was comparing the narrative about various locations with current maps to see how things have changed over the last 200 years, and where certain events occurred on a current map. It is a little sad to see how much natural beauty and wildlife has been lost because of the effects of modern civilization. Sometimes it was difficult to flip back and forth through the book to try to follow the expedition's progress on the maps in the book. I would have wished for more maps, to make this job a little easier.
One of the fascinating aspects of the story is how many times they were attacked by unfriendly indians, and how they managed, with excellent leadership, to make the entire journey and only lost one man, and that to disease, not warfare.
Another interesting point that I recall was how the indians they came in contact with could not understand how the Americans could stand their own stench. The indians bathed daily, even in winter, but the Americans hardly at all.
And another interesting point was how the expedition made almost the entire journey subsisting almost exclusively on meat, from the wild game they were able to hunt, only rarely is there any mention of eating any vegetables.
Altogether, one of the most intesting and valuable contributions to American history and literature, and a real "must read" for history buffs.

This is a review of the Frank Bergon edit (beware - the store has combined reviews for all edits of the Journals together), hardcover edition.

Overall, an extremely enjoyable and surprisingly lively read - highly recommended for those casually interested in history, or those fond of adventure stories.

This is strictly Lewis and Clark's actual journal entries, misspellings and all, with almost no footnotes, and no background information at all. Frank Bergon has trimmed out nearly all of the dry scientific data and navigational data entries, except in a handful of cases to give you the flavor of them. What's left is an exciting first-hand account of the daily struggles of these adventurers, putting you right in their shoes.
For much of the journey, a daily account is presented (sometimes twice, as both Lewis and Clark's separate entries for the day are sometimes presented consecutively). For the two periods where the group is in winter quarters for several weeks, Bergon skips many days worth of journal entries, and this prevents the narrative from stalling.

What also comes through in these journals is a little bit of Lewis and Clark's individual personalities. Clark's stoic understatement of his own trials and sufferings while exhibiting sympathy and concern for others in his party; Lewis's bright enthusiasm at each new discovery, big or small.

Personally, I found this book much more enjoyable than Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage". Perhaps one should start with these Journals, then follow up with Ambrose's work to get the missing parts of the story (before, after, and other party member's experiences).

The introduction to this book, written by Stephen Ambrose, states that the Journals of Lewis and Clark are an American treasure. At first this seemed like hyperbole, but while reading the Journals, it became clearer why this statement was made.
For in the Journals the reader sees in the mind's eye the vast prairies, indomitable mountains, wide, powerful rivers, and vast Pacific Ocean as Lewis and Clark saw them. Through the Journals the reader encounters Indian tribes, both friendly and fierce. At other times, the puzzling descriptions of previously unknown species of animals and plants give insight as to what discovery and exploration mean. This is what makes the Journals a national treasure. Reading the Journals gives the contemporary reader a sense of what it was like to look at the American West for the first time. In an era when there are precious few corners of the earth that have not been mapped, the Journals convey reader to a time when exploration was not only commonplace, but a necessity for national survival.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark are not particularly easy to read at times if you are not accustomed to the reading genre of travel diaries. Also, at times, the terse writing style of William Clark made the Journal difficult to plow through. Merriweather Lewis' entries were much more readable, but his entries do not appear until after the first quarter or so of this edition.
If you are a person who likes maps, the number of maps is low and and the detail they provide is small. There may be other versions of the Journals out there that provide better maps.
The commentaries provided before certain chapters that summarize the events that the Journals are about to relate are very helpful in understanding the narratives that follow.
For the reader not well versed in the Corps of Discovery, I am not sure if the Journals of Lewis and Clark is the best book to read first when learning about their expedition. Undaunted Courage or another such book might be better first choice if you want to build a curriculum on Lewis and Clark. Looking back, I would suggest reading the Journals in tandem with such a book, to get a balance between the two styles: historical narrative and diary.
Regardless of how the reader approaches the Journals, either by itself or in conjunction with other works, at some point, the critical reader will consult if not read the Journals of Lewis and Clark for a broader perspective on the secondary histories.

Lewis and Clark's descriptions of their epic overland journey is a deserved American classic. So many students must memorize the Gettysburg Address or the Preamble of the Constitution, but too few are ever introduced to this magnificent trilogy, told in Lewis and Clark's own words. They were the first white men to lay eyes on the interior sections of the Unites States, when the land was unspoiled, unpolluted and obviously quite spectacular. In great detail, they relate their indescribable amazement to see giant Sequoia trees, grizzly bears and endless miles of barren desert.
Lewis and Clark's experiences are the stuff of legend, but the question that begs to be answered is: could they write? The answer is a resounding yes! The narrative flows smoothly, the descriptions of the animals and landscape come alive with their vivid use of language and metaphor. Perhaps the most vivid sections of the book revolve around their numerous encounters with Native Americans. This book should be required reading for anyone with an history in the history and exploration of the United States.

This is an outstanding read made possible by excellent editing and editorial comment. Some have criticized the editor for modernizing and correcting the spelling and even interpreting the notes found in of Lewis and Clark's journals. Frankly I think that this is will make this edition of their journals more accessible to the masses. Their continental crossing and return is one of the greatest stories ever told and thank goodness they documented it so carefully.

The journey and this book have inspired me to make a trip or two next year to see for myself some of the places they saw and documented for the first time only two hundred years ago. Great editorial notation on places, animals, and people to give the modern reader some reference along with beginning chapter notes. Jefferson's amazing directive in its entirety is included. I liked reading it and referencing some good maps so I could vicariously place myself with the expedition. The Corps of Discovery was made up of great American heros. This riveting journey is a must read for all ages.

Very annoying editing. The editor deletes entire segments (e.g. the several weeks they crossed the Missouri Breaks), rather than editing out alternate days (when so many are repetitious). And to add further insult to injury, the author substitutes his own narrative and makes infuriating reference to Lewis' and Clark's writing, e.g. for the Missouri Breaks part, he states that Lewis' writing is extremely eloquent! Then why didn't you just include all of it instead of a mere sentence or two that you embedded in your own narrative?

To me, the Lewis and Clark expedition ranks as one of the greatest voyages of discovery in human history. Because of the scientific and geographical discoveries that were made, it stands in significance alongside the travels of Marco Polo, the journeys of Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and James Cook, and the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

This one-volume edition of Lewis' and Clark's masterpiece is outstanding in every way. Edited by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Bernard DeVoto (1897-1955), it allows the reader to gain a fuller understanding of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the words of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark themselves.

Lewis and Clark's expedition begins in 1804, taking the 33-person Corps of Discovery from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean and back again (a distance of over 8,000 miles). Among other things, it results in the initial exploration and mapping of the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest, and the description and classification of over 100 never-before seen species of flora and fauna. In addition, it dispells the myth of a northwest passage to the orient, and opens up the vast central and western regions of the continent to commerce with the United States.

Captain Meriwether Lewis, the commander of the Corps of Discovery, is instructed by President Thomas Jefferson to keep a journal of the daily events, scientific observations, and measurements of latitude and longitude along the way. Both he and his co-commander, Captain (in reality Lieutenant) William Clark follow Jefferson's instructions, although not always faithfully.

Lewis and Clark return from their 30-month long expedition as national heroes. Jefferson expects Lewis to oversee the quick publication of the Journals, but Lewis, for a variety of reasons, disappoints the President. He fails miserably as governor of the Louisiana territory; he suffers from depression and alcoholism. In 1809, he (it is surmised by historians) takes his own life, never having submitted so much as one page of the Journals' manuscript to an editor. After Lewis' suicide, Clark teams with editor Nicholas Biddle and completes a short, narrative version of the Lewis and Clark journals. Published in 1814, it contains none of the scientific data compiled during the expedition. Not until 1904 are the Journals of Lewis and Clark published in their entirety, with all of the explorers' scientific observations included.

Bernard DeVoto begins this volume with a well crafted 60-page introduction that explains the historical background to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Then, DeVoto gets out of the way and allows Lewis, Clark, and, on occasion, other members of the Corps of Discovery, to convey with their own words the drama, excitement and high adventure of this magnificent undertaking. Most of the more routine scientific data has been edited out, leaving behind Lewis and Clark's outstanding descriptions of the expedition's key events.

It is not easy to forget Lewis' florid prose, through which he so emotionally and enthusiastically describes his initial sighting of the Great Falls of the Missouri and the Rocky Mountains, or his encounters with the Nez Perce' and Blackfoot native tribes. DeVoto does, however, keep in a few of the more famous journal entries dealing with scientific observations. Lewis' descriptions of the wildlife, plants and physical geography along the route of the expedition show him to be a gifted naturalist, perhaps one of the finest in history.

One not of caution: while they are very enjoyable, "The Journals of Lewis and Clark" have a tendency to make for taxing reading. This is because the editor left Lewis' and Clark's grammar and spelling almost completely intact. (Both men had an excellent ability to hold their readers' interest with their colorful and dramatic prose, but they were both atrocious spellers.)

This edition of "The Journals of Lewis and Clark" is highly entertaining and well researched. It's the best and most essential volume for those who do not wish to read the complete multi-volume version of this work. Most highly recommended.

The essential Lewis & Clark book. If you really want to feel as if you are accompanying the Corps of Discovery, the best way is by reading the original journals, and this is the best book for that. If you would rather have a historian place this in history with its accompanying events, read Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage. Better yet, read both!

I picked this book up over the summer (2006) while traveling through 12 states in 12 days (Western and upper Mid-west)- I think I picked this up while visiting Mount Rushmore. Anyway I started reading this book during some of this trip and I found it so interesting that I could not put it down. After I finished reading this and having told some of my co-workers about several parts of the book while I was reading it one of them asked to borrow it and another one went ahead and bought his own copy. If you love non-fiction, biographical, historical books that have an edge of exitement this one is for you and I highly recommend it. Honestly this is one of the top 10 books I have read and I have read a lot!

Other reviewers have said it before me, and it is all true, but what came across most (for me) was the leadership skills that enabled such a large party to live together on the verge of starvation at times, with an Indian woman and her baby, and only have one argument! Add that to the diplomatic skills involved in negotiating with hostiles, collecting specimens, mapping the progress, foraging for food (Drewyer must be the best hunter EVER!), surviving sub-zero mountain passes and grizzly attacks, with the loss of only one life, and you have an engrossing account of what must rank as one of THE greatest adventures of all time!

Number twelve in a distinguished, and, multivolume effort by Dr. Gary Moulton, The University of Nebraska, The "Herbarium" volume of "The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition" is the most comprehensive, edited botanical reference of the known plant specimens of the Corps of Discovery, 1803-1806.
As an impressive culmination to the Journals, the herbarium collection finalizes the extensive botanical scholarship contained in the notes produced by Dr. Moulton in the previous eleven volumes, published periodically over the past twenty years. The product of extensive research into the known world repositories of the extent plant specimens, this volume contains only one known error in terms of inclusion of a plant specimen that cannot be attributed to the expedition's collection. This one specimen at the Charleston Museum has been discounted since publication.
Nevertheless, this volume contains relatively high-quality image reproductions of the known 238 specimens in the Lewis and Clark Herbarium, in addition to a clear introduction to the history of the Herbarium collection and the scholarship behind its most recent publication. 227 specimens are currently housed in the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia, and the remaining 11 are housed in the Kew Gardens, London. Of this list, 177 are distinct, individual specimens.
In the future, it is more than likely, despite this exhaustive effort on the part of Moulton, that a few new specimens will emerge from the depths of the American Philosophical Society, The Academy of Natural Sciences, and Kew.
Until such a time, this volume is an absolute necessity for anyone seriously interested in understanding the natural history ramifications of the expedition, the study of Lewis and Clark, and, for that matter, America's landscape legacy. One wonders how many more specimens would have been added to this collection if Lewis' early collections for the lower-Missouri had not been lost to decay during the expedition itself.
"Volume 12, Herbarium of the Lewis and Clark Expedition," Gary E. Moulton, Editor, The University of Nebraska Press, completes a fantastic series and must be added to complete one's collection of the first eleven volumes of the truly great American literary epic.
The only wish of this author would be the publication of high-resolution, color digital images of the Herbarium on CD or DVD, as a compendium to this volume. Perhaps in this way, we could all experience more clearly the wonder of viewing this most valuable treasure.
Dr. Gary Moulton should be congratulated for a job very well-done.
Alex Philp The University of Montana