After securing the Louisiana Purchase from Francis, President Thomas Jefferson instructed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Missouri River to find "the most direct and practicable water communication across the continent for purposes of commerce." The expedition, known as the time as the Corps of Discovery, is now known as the Lewis & Clark Expedition, although just the names "Lewis and Clark" is enough to indicate what you are talking about.

Andrew Santella's juvenile history of "Lewis and Clark" begins with short biographies of both men and divides the expedition into distinct stages: the trip up the Missouri River, the trek across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and the return trip home. The book is richly illustrated some of the journal entries made by the two explorers, historic paintings and ethics, and contemporary photographs of some of the regions they traveled on their 8,000 mile trek. One of the nice features of this book are the informative notes and sidebars on topics like the air gun Lewis took on the trip, the erratic spellings in their journals, and the first time a black slave voted in American History.

Santella, who has authored several volumes of the excellent Cornerstones of Freedom series, turns in another fine effort for this Watts Library book about exploration. Other titles in the series look at Francisco Coronado, Henry Hudson, Juan Ponce de Leon, Samuel de Champlain, and Sieur de la Salle.

Sometimes history comes alive through the details. In this Cornerstones of Freedom volume on the Lewis & Clark expedition there are two photographs of historic artifacts that certainly make the whole adventure come alive for me. First, there are pages from William Clark's journal which contains accounts of weather conditions and geographical observations, as well as sketches fo the scenery and wildlife. Second, there is a letter of credit, written by President Thomas Jefferson in his own hand, so that the expedition could return home by ship (it was never used as Lewis and Clark returned home overland). There are historic paintings of Lewis and Clark, as well as Sacagawea and York (the black man who astounded the Plains Indians), but it is these photographs of actual items that prove the most inspirational.

R. Conrad Stein provides a more than adequate introduction to the expedition known it is day as the Corps of Discovery, which left St. Louis in the spring of 1804 for a two year journey up the Missouri River, across the Rocky Mountains, and down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The goal was to explore the land the United States acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. One of the key consequences of the expedition that traveled 8,000 miles was that it proved, once and for all, that an inland waterway in North American did not exist. Part of the Cornerstones of Freedom volume on the Louisiana Purchase is devoted to the Lewis & Clark expedition, but this volume, of course, provides much more information.

A truly fascinating read of exploration and attempted location of the mythical water passage across the western U.S. from the geographical perspective. From the mid 1600's up to and including the Lewis and Clark expedition, geographical mappings of the west were theoretical and conjectural, leading to misconceptions and inaccuracies in cartography and images of unexplored lands. With loyal support and backing from Jefferson, Lewis and Clark set out to locate the legendary water route across America for U.S. commerce, while at the same time collecting and taking notes on cartography, botany, zoology, geology, ethnology and natural resources, along with postulating future agricultural possibilities for the nation. Although the image of a fabled water passage was shattered and the idea of a totally agrarian society was somewhat fragmented, the Lewis and Clark expedition did succeed in being the premier stepping-stone for western expansion and maintained the imagery process of the west right up to the present time. A spellbinding read.

Professor Moulton has done a tremendous job of abridging over one million words in this manageable volume of five hundred or so pages. This volume will be the functional equivalent of the DeVoto edition for the twenty-first century. An excellent job that preserves the personalities of both Clark and Meriwether Lewis. Too many editors cannot avoid the temptation of "correcting" the 1804-06 English of the pair.

The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is the one great exploration of the American continent that was actually undertaken by Americans rather than by Europeans visiting the New World. "The Lewis and Clark Trail Then and Now," with text by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and Photographs by William Munoz, compares the way things have changed along the route almost two hundred years later. When Lewis and Clark left St. Louis in May of 1804 the United States was a land without telephones, railroads, cars, electrical equipment or dozens of other modern conveniences we take for granted. The region of North American between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean was fill of rivers and mountains, native tribes and indigenous animals, all waiting to be "discovered." Today, this entire region has been mapped, and a lot of that uninhabited land is now covered by farms and ranches, towns and cities. Even the mighty Missouri and Columbia Rivers that Lewis and Clark followed have been damned. Still, there are wilderness areas, such as the Rocky Mountains, where what you would see today has changed little from the time Lewis and Clark first trekked through their landscapes.

However, overall the emphasis in this book is more on the "then," even though most of the pictures are of the "now." There is a reproduction of an 1802 map showing the great area of the unexplored American West and some early 19th-century paintings, but the photographs are of contemporary vistas and shots of some of the equipment taken on the expedition. The book does not make an attempt to match up old paintings with new photographs, but rather tries to combine them to give a sense of the places visited and the peoples met along the way. Ultimately, the book fills in the spaces between that unfinished map at the start of the book and the completed map made by Clark that appears at the end. Each chapter is essentially a two-page spread on chronologically arranged topics from Members of the Expedition and Life on the River to Finding the Shoshone and Descending the Might Columbia. The net effect is a concise look at the history making expedition and how it fulfilled President Thomas Jefferson's mandate. Young students assigned to research the topic or simply interested in this part of American history will find "The Lewis and Clark Trail: Now and Then" provides a solid look at the subject.

Lewis and Clark, A Prairie Dog for the President, is a fun read that's nicely paced. Author Shirley Raye Redmond uses whimsy and humor to tell this historic event: President Jefferson sends the eager Lewis and Clark off to explore the West. The vast young nation has never been fully explored. The president wonders how long it will take to get to the end of it and what they will find. One of my favorite parts is the banter over what to name the barking prairie creature they discover and send back to Jefferson.
"You can call it a ground rat."
"No, it looks like squirrel. I'll call it a barking squirrel."
"Squirrels don't bark. Dogs bark. We should call it a prairie dog."
"That's it!" Lewis and Clark agreed.
Later it starts all over again, when the President asks, "Is it a gopher?"
The illustrations by John Manders are just as pleasing. I like the facial expressions on the people and animals, especially the mischievous smile of the prairie dog. Manders is skilled at portraying action and emotions. And like the author, his sense of humor is so much fun. A buffalo and bear pose to be sketched. A buffalo won't fit in a shipping crate. Prairie dogs pop in and out of holes, eluding capture. A poor scout is so weighed down with "presents" for the President, he must be hoisted onto a boat.
Together, Shirley Raye Redmond and John Manders have created a delightful book.

If there is any event in American history that has been thoroughly documented it is the Lewis & Clark expedition, 1803-06.
Surprisingly, one area that has been generally overlooked is the medical aspect of the expedition. A retired cardiac surgeon and wilderness medical expert, Bruce C. Paton, has remedied that oversight with this fascinating book.
In a highly readable, non-techinal manner, Paton examines the state of medicine in 1800 and discusses the medical preparations made by Meriwether Lewis for the journey including, at the urging of President Jefferson, his meetings with leading scholars of the time.
The story of Lewis' meeting with Dr. Benjamin Rush, the advising physician to the expedition, is interesting not only for the advice given to Lewis but for Rush's varied interests and activities. Rush's list of 10 steps to follow in order to maintain the health of the expedition members provides the reader with a stark reminder of the state of medical care in early 1800.
In addition, the author discusses the diagnoses and treatment of three specific major medical crises that confronted the expedition: the gunshot wound suffered by Lewis, the illness of Sacagawea and the death of Sergeant Floyd. While the death of Floyd did not affect the ultimate success of the expedition, the author speculates on what the outcome might have been had Sacagawea or Lewis died. That they did survive may have been due more to luck than the treatment they received.
Only one member died during the incredible three-year ordeal despite limited medical knowledge and medications that were largely ineffective.
This is a must book for anyone remotely interested in the Lewis & Clark expedition. Highly recommended.

This is a highly readable, brief account of the journey of Lewis and Clark, America's premier explorers. The duo set out in 1804 at the behest of President Jefferson to see if in fact there was a "Northwest Passage" (waterway) to the West Coast, and to explore the sorrounding regions. Most fascinating are the tales of encounters with various Indian tribes, as well as the weather related hardships endured by the Corps of Discovery. Reads nicely for young people or as a general introduction to the subject for adults. The book could have used some more illustrations and maps, but otherwise nicely researched.

If you can find this title in a used bookstore and are a fan of Lewis, this is worth getting. Shame it is out of print now.

For any kind of reserch paper on Lewis Carroll, this a good book to look through. This book is like Anotated Alice, yet different. It includes some annotations, but is still mostly about his life. How many people knew that the Lewis Carroll based his books on a real Alice? Going even further, how many people know that he used a different Alice in the sequel? You can find all this and more in the book. For example, some people may not know that Charles Dodgson had O.C.D. And his best friends were little girls? The things that are in that book are amazing, and very helpful. Cheers!!!!!!!! : )