Recommended Books about the Lewis and Clark Expedition
S. K. Wier October, 2005
For an excellent short history read either Lewis and Clark An Illustrated History by Dayton Duncan (1997, Alfred A. Knopf, with a fine selection of pictures and photographs), or Those Tremendous Mountains by David Freeman Hawke (Norton). For more details read either Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose (1996, Simon & Schuster) or The Way to the Western Sea by David Lavender (1988, Harper & Row Publishers; University of Nebraska Press 2001), both excellent but with few illustrations. For children – and their parents – Lewis and Clark for Kids: Their Journey of Discovery by Janis Herbert (2000, Chicago Review Press) is a truly excellent introduction.
More Top Histories
Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists by Paul Russell Cutright (1969, Urbana: University of Illinois Press) is a fine account of the expedition as well as the best description of the extensive discoveries in natural history. Lewis and Clark Among the Indians. James P. Ronda (2002, Univ of Nebraska Press) is a history of the expedition explaining the relations between Indians and the explorers, from both points of view. Absolutely one of the top Lewis and Clark books. Lewis and Clark Across the Divide by Carolyn Gilman (2003, Smithsonian Books) is the National Bicentennial Exhibition catalog and a very detailed history of the expedition and related issues, with excellent photos of artifacts and historic paintings. Very good on Indians and the expedition.
The Expedition Journals
The best of many abridgments of the journals is The Journals of Lewis and Clark edited by Frank Bergon (1989, Penguin). The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and others; Gary E. Moulton, editor (1983-2001, Univ of Nebraska Press; 13 volumes including an atlas volume, herbarium, and index volume) is "The definitive work for our time" ..."one of the major scholarly achievements of the late twentieth century." Moulton's edition Includes extensive explanatory footnotes notes on all subjects. The complete journals make fascinating reading for the dedicated enthusiast and historian.
Native American Indians
See Lewis and Clark Among the Indians by James P. Ronda and Lewis and Clark Across the Divide by Carolyn Gilman. Do Them No Harm: An Interpretation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Among the Nez Perce Indians by Zoa Swayne (1990, Legacy House; Caxton Press, 2003): " ... a glimpse into what the world looked like to the Nez Perce 200 years ago. It's told from the Indians' point of view, based on oral and written history...." One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West Before Lewis and Clark. Colin G. Calloway (2003, University of Nebraska Press). Arts of Diplomacy, Lewis & Clark's Indian Collection. Castle McLaughlin (2003, Univ. Washington Press). Illustrated with more than 300 photographs, line drawings, and maps. "This book shows the extraordinary collection of late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century Native American objects ...” Waheenee A Indian Girl's Story Told by Herself. Gilbert L. Wilson, editor. (1987. Bison Books, Univ. of Nebraska Press) is a full and detailed account of Hidatsa life as told by Buffalo Bird Woman. Excellent for ages 10 through adult; well illustrated.
Natural History Discoveries
Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists. Paul Russell Cutright (1969, Urbana: University of Illinois Press). The core book about discoveries in natural history. The Natural History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Raymond Darwin Burroughs (1961, Michigan State University Press, reprinted 1995). Detailed information about animals encounters and observations from journal extracts. Lewis and Clark Among the Grizzlies: Legend and Legacy in the American West. Paul Schullery (2002, Falcon Press). Lewis and Clark's Green World: The Expedition and Its Plants. A. Scott Earle and James L. Reveal (2003, Far Country Press) Fine color photographs, botanical descriptions, quotations from the journals. Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark and Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark. Dorothy H Patent and William Munoz (Clarion Books) are excellent accurate juvenile, and adult, introductions with good photographs.
Preconceptions, Planning, Insights, and the Political Setting
The Course of Empire by Bernard DeVoto (1952, Houghton Mifflin), is outstanding for the geo-political setting of the expedition, and for geographic ideas, problems, misconceptions, and discoveries. Jefferson and the Stony Mountains: Exploring the West from Monticello by Donald Jackson (1981, Univ. Illinois Press), and Passage Through the Garden: Lewis and Clark and the Image of the American Northwest by John Logan Allen (1975, Univ. of Illinois Press) are regarded as two of the top books about the expedition. Finding the West Explorations with Lewis and Clark. James P. Ronda (2001, Univ. New Mexico Press). Jefferson's West: A Journey with Lewis and Clark. James P. Ronda (2002, Thomas Jefferson Foundation). Voyages of Discovery: Essays on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. James P. Ronda, editor (1998, Montana Historical Society Press). All of Ronda's books are really the tops. A Wilderness So Immense The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America. Jon Kukla (2003. Alfred A. Knopf). The Great Acquisition An Introduction to the Louisiana Purchase. Peter J. Kastor. (Lewis and Clark Interpretive Association, Great Falls, MT).
Other Topics
The Character of Meriwether Lewis, Clay Jenkinson (Marmath Press, Reno Nevada) is one of the top books for understanding the expedition. Lewis and Clark: Doctors in the Wilderness. Bruce C. Paton (2001, Fulcrum). Feasting and Fasting with Lewis and Clark A Food and Social History. Leandra Zim Holland (2003, www.lewisandclark-food.com). "...complete coverage of how they ate ... quotations from the journals..." "...vast amount of incredible research ...” On the River with Lewis and Clark. Vern Huser (2003, Texas A & M University Press). "...what it was like to carry out such an expedition, details & construction of the watercraft, dangerous incidents along the rivers." Lewis and Clark Trail Maps: A Cartographic Reconstruction, three volumes. Martin Plamondon (2000-2004, Washington State Univ Press), overlays of the route and campsites on modern topo maps. Lewis and Clark: Tailor Made, Trail Worn; Army Life, Clothing and Weapons of the Corps of Discovery. Robert J. Moore and Michael Haynes (illustrator). (203, Far Country Press). This is the most detailed description of clothing used by the expedition. Many modern artistic and accurate paintings of scenes. “The Firearms of the Lewis and Clark Expedition” S. K. Wier (May 2006, in We Proceeded On, the journal of the Lewis and Clark Trail Historic Foundation, May 2006, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 10-17. See also Letters, August 2006, vol. 32, no 3. )
For a complete guide to the best books about the expedition, go online toDay by Day With the Lewis and Clark Expedition: A Guide to Sources of Information
( http://home.earthlink.net/~swier/CorpsofDiscovery.html )
S. K. Wier
Boulder, Colorado
303 499 0991
swier@earthlink.net