Customer Reviews

Lewis & Clark

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! I love this book. I also love Ambrose's writing. He instills so much energy into this tale. Anyone who has seen Ken Burns' Lewis and Clark-The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, will remember how strong a presence he had in that film. He is truly dynamic. The history teacher I never had. I've been reading this book in conjunction with the journals and it really makes a great combo. When I'm a little confused as to what's happening in the journals, this book helps fill in the blanks. Maps and archival photos are also a real nice touch. Oh, and the landscape photos are beautiful too. I also have to disagree with a previous reviewer who mentioned that the addition of Ambrose's family experiences were annoying. I find them enjoyable and they really help give me a sense of what many of the L & C places are like in the present. I've always wondered about that. This book is A MUST for L & C admirers.

The historical account is great for the most part, but I have two complaints.

The first is that, as one other reviewer notes, Ambrose injects himself and his family too much into the narrative. Jumping from past to present is bad enough if not necessary, but doing so for "look at me" reasons is worse.

Then again, it is Stephen Ambrose, and it's not totally surprising.

The book does also have some degree of the "American triumphalism" view of history that's par from him.

And, the treatment of the various Indian tribes in the context of their times, while decent, was nothing fantastic.

The pictures are indeed great. Of course, you can find many of the same from other great photographers, or from other National Geographic books.

I enjoyed Mr. Ambrose's story of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It's a great introduction with ample details and excerpts from their (Lewis' and Clark's) daily journals. The photographs were outstanding. I have also purchased Mr. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" so I can read an in depth story of the expedition. It was very clever how Mr. Ambrose threaded his personal discoveries of the expedition along with their personal experiences in retracing Lewis and Clark's trail.

Goddam! I'm a history buff, and I thought I'd read all that was worth reading about this duo. I must admit that I WAS WRONG! The Ambrose book provides insights you'll not find anywhere else. Trust me, if you liked the PBS series, you'll LOVE this book. And the Abell photos? Breathtaking...to say the least.

Stephen Ambrose added a lot to the Lewis & Clark literature.
Undaunted Courage is a must read for L&C enthusiasts.

Except that it glosses over parts for where there were no records, this is a wonderfull book I couldnt put down!

First of all, I can't get enought of Lewis and Clark or, for that matter, Stephen Ambrose. Having said that, I thought that this would merely be a rehashing of his Undauted Courage with pictures; no more than a nice coffee table book. But, I was pleasantly surprised.

The mixture of breathtaking photographs, Ambrose's great style of writing and the wonderful story that is Lewis and Clark would have been enough for me. However, with the addition of his writings of his family and friend's adventures along the Lewis and Clark Trail, this book brings the expedition into the 20th century. You now feel the cold, slap at the mosquitoes, and see the mist of the Great Falls with them. Above all, you finally realize just how strong and courageous those great adventurers were.

While I enjoyed the book a lot, I specifically did NOT like the way it jumped from the past to the present. Just as I was beginning to feel like I was part of the expedition (which Ambrose did a great job of), he rips me into the present to hear what his kids think when experiencing the same sites. Quite honestly, I couldn't care less and it ruined the mood for me...