The Lewis and Clark Journals (Abridged Edition): An American Epic of Discovery - Hardcover

"If you're going to read just one book . . . you should hear the story from the explorers themselves."—Elise Christenson, Newsweek.

Following orders from President Thomas Jefferson, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from their wintering camp in Illinois in 1804 to search for a river passage to the Pacific Ocean. In this riveting account, editor Gary E. Moulton blends the narrative highlights of the Lewis and Clark journals so that the voices of the enlisted men and of Native peoples are heard alongside the words of the captains.

All their triumphs and terrors are here—the thrill of seeing the vast herds of bison on the plains; the tensions and admiration in the first meetings with Indian peoples; Lewis's rapture at the stunning beauty of the Great Falls; the fear the captains felt when a devastating illness befell their Shoshone interpreter, Sacagawea; the ordeal of crossing the Continental Divide; the kidnapping and rescuing of Lewis’s dog, Seaman; miserable days of cold and hunger; and Clark's joy at seeing the Pacific. The cultural differences between the corps and Native Americans make for living drama that at times provokes laughter but more often is poignant and, at least once, tragic.

Gary E. Moulton is Thomas C. Sorensen Professor of American History at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His editing of the Lewis and Clark journals earned him the J. Franklin Jameson Award of the American Historical Association and the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award from the University of Nebraska.

Also of interest

In paper
The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark
From the Ohio to the Vermillion
Up the Missouri to Fort Mandan
From Fort Mandan to Three Forks
Through the Rockies to the Cascades
Down the Columbia to Fort Clatsop
From the Pacific to the Rockies
Over the Rockies to St. Louis
Seven-Volume Set
John Ordway and Charles Floyd
Patrick Gass
Joseph Whitehouse

In cloth
The Lewis & Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery
Volume 1: Atlas of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Volume 2: August 30, 1803–August 24, 1804
Volume 3: August 25, 1804–April 6, 1805
Volume 4: April 7–July 27, 1805
Volume 5: July 28–November 1, 1805
Volume 6: November 2, 1805–March 22, 1806
Volume 7: March 23–June 9, 1806
Volume 8: June 10–September 26, 1806
Volume 9: John Ordway and Charles Floyd
Volume 10: Patrick Gass
Volume 11: Joseph Whitehouse
Volume 12: Herbarium of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Volume 13: Comprehensive Index
Thirteen-Volume Set

More Lewis & Clark

The Men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis & Clark: Pioneering Naturalists
Out West: A Journey through Lewis & Clark's America
The Way to the Western Sea: Lewis and Clark across the Continent
Lewis & Clark among the Indians: Bicentennial Edition

Visit the Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Online