The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

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. I highly recommend this outstanding book!