The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark, Vol 12: Herbarium [Paperback]

Meriwether Lewis (Author), William Clark (Author), Gary E. Moulton (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark | Publication Date: May 1, 2004

This landmark volume contains the most complete listing and presentation of the plant specimens collected by the Lewis and Clark expedition. All but one of the plants were collected by Meriwether Lewis, the expedition’s botanist. The collection, how-ever, was nearly lost over the years when it was scattered among various botanists who intended to catalog the expedition’s scientific discoveries. Fortunately, for many years the specimens have been in the care of major institutions, principally the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The 239 extant items are brought together in one book for the first time. This indispensable volume will assist researchers and enthusiasts hoping to identify each plant’s date and place of collection and other information such as plant habitat and ethnobotanical use.

(20061024)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The University of Nebraska Press has become the pre-eminent publisher of Lewis and Clark titles, including what is now considered the definitive edition of the journals edited by Nebraska history professor Gary Moulton."—John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

(John Marshall Seattle Post-Intellingencer )

“Anyone interested in the Lewis and Clark Expedition will enjoy looking at the specimens and tracing when and where Lewis made the collection via an accompanying map and appendix. Botanists will find this book informative for matters of identification, taxonomy, and natural history.”—South Dakota History

(South Dakota History )

“Well organized, the book’s introduction, calendar of botanical specimens, herbarium list, and six good appendixes are valuable reports that should be of interest to many Americans wanting good information about our country’s natural history.”—Audubon Nationalist News

(Audubon Nationalist News )

“These journals are national treasures and now are available for everyone’s taste: the thirteen volumes for the scholar and the present edition for the public. To quote a modern Canadian historian of the American West, ‘Chapeau Gary Moulton!’”—Missouri Historical Review

(Missouri Historical Review )

“To produce this long-awaited contribution to the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition, editor Gary E. Moulton called upon many botanists and other specialists to assist him. Their labors have produced, at long last, what Jefferson originally intended as an essential component of the expedition’s written record.”—Journal of America’s Military Past, Michael J. Broadhead

(Michael J. Broadhead Journal of America's Military Past )

From the Inside Flap

"[This edition] stands as one of the great accomplishments of American scholarship and scholarly publishing alike. The work of historian Gary Moulton and a team of some three dozen specialists working through the University of Nebraska's Center for Great Plains Studies with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the 13-volume Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was published by the University of Nebraska Press from 1983 to 2001."--Gregory McNamee, Washington Post Book World

"Lewis and Clark loom over the narrative literature of the West as the Rockies loom over the rivers that run through them. These Journals are to the narrative of the American West as the Iliad is to the epic or as Don Quixote is to the novel: a first exemplar so great as to contain in embryo the genre's full potential. The narrative writing about the West that came before Lewis and Clark seems fragmentary and slight; what came after them seems insipid and slight, lacking both the scale and the force of those Journals."—Larry McMurtry in the New York Review of Books

"Meticulously edited, with detailed (and absolutely necessary) footnotes, these volumes are a triumph of scholarly publishing. . . . One version or another belongs on most readers' shelves—and should accompany any road trip through the West."—Atlantic Monthly.

The University of Nebraska Press editions of The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition are widely heralded as a lasting achievement. In all, twelve volumes and a comprehensive index are projected, which together will provide a complete record of the expedition.

Volume 12 contains the most complete listing of the plant specimens cataloged by the Lewis and Clark expedition. All but one of the plants were collected by Meriwether Lewis, the most skilled botanist among the expedition’s members. The collection, however, was nearly lost over the years due to its scattering among various botanists who intended to catalog the expedition’s scientific discoveries. Fortunately, for many years the specimens have been in the care of major institutions, principally the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The 239 extant items are brought together here for the first time. This invaluable volume will assist researchers and enthusiasts hoping to identify each plant’s location, distribution, and use along the expedition’s route.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803280327
• ISBN-13: 978-0803280328
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,174,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)