The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Signet Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Meriwether Lewis (Author), William Clark (Author), John Bakeless (Contributor) "I dispatched an express this morning to Captain Lewis at St. Louis..." (more)
Key Phrases: quamash flats, white pirogue, red pirogue, Captain Clark, Captain Lewis, Sergeant Pryor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the spring of 1805, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with a small band of men and a Shoshone woman, set out on a journey to explore the Western frontier-land of America, from the Missouri River to the northern Pacific coast and back. Written by the explorers themselves, these journals remain the most vivid depiction of their epic trek.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451528344
• ISBN-13: 978-0451528346
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #281,056 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended "short version" of Lewis & Clark Journals, October 1, 2003

By	Sissalou "sissalou" (SAINT CLAIR, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This book is not a novel. This book is an excerpt of the version of the Lewis and Clark journals edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites in 1903-04. Thwaites's version was based on material from the paraphrased Biddle version of 1814. There is an excellent modern non-paraphrased 13-volume version of the journals edited by Dr. Gary Moulton based on original Lewis and Clark materials--also available through Amazon.com. I recommend this book and Dr. Moulton's books.

Bakeless chose entries that reflected the broad scope of Captain Meriwether Lewis's mission. Captain Lewis was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and Congress in 1803 to conduct an official army expedition across the North American continent to search for a practical trade route. He was to sail up the Missouri River, cross the Rocky Mountains, and sail down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. This feat had never been done before, and Lewis and his army detachment were the first citizens of the United States to cross all the way across from the land east of the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

Bakeless's selection of journal entries gives the reader a very balanced sense of the expedition. We can appreciate the mundane day-to-day activities such as guard duties, court-martials, hunting expeditions, weather reports, as well as exciting entries such as when the men were chased by grizzly bears, nearly fell over cliffs, were nearly drowned, or when confronted by unfriendly westerners (only twice--most of the Native Americans were exceedingly helpful to the expedition and many times, the expeditionaries lives depended on the Native Americans help), and even when Meriwether Lewis was accidentally shot. We even find out which Captain liked to eat dog meat.

Considering the wealth of information that the Captains brought back from their journey, Bakeless did an excellent job of choosing what we should read to get a balanced picture of the enormous job those men undertook in one small volume.

This is an excellent "beginners" Lewis and Clark Journal. Once you read this book, you will feel compelled to read more. When you do, I recommend editor Dr. Gary Moulton's 12 volume set.

This book is not a "childrens" book. It is a nonfiction book for adults or young adults that can appreciate real life adventure.

The bottom line is, do you want to buy this book? Yes, you do.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Abridged, but still engrossing, February 26, 2004

By	Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Lewis and Clark's descriptions of their epic overland journey is a deserved American classic. So many students must memorize the Gettysburg Address or the Preamble of the Constitution, but too few are ever introduced to this magnificent trilogy, told in Lewis and Clark's own words. They were the first white men to lay eyes on the interior sections of the Unites States, when the land was unspoiled, unpolluted and obviously quite spectacular. In great detail, they relate their indescribable amazement to see giant Sequoia trees, grizzly bears and endless miles of barren desert.

Lewis and Clark's experiences are the stuff of legend, but the question that begs to be answered is: could they write? The answer is a resounding yes! The narrative flows smoothly, the descriptions of the animals and landscape come alive with their vivid use of language and metaphor. Perhaps the most vivid sections of the book revolve around their numerous encounters with Native Americans. This book should be required reading for anyone with an history in the history and exploration of the United States.

5 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It was ok...., January 1, 2005

By	Christine (USA) - See all my reviews

In my reading I found some things I liked and some things I did not like.
The introduction that John Bakeless added in was great. Although it is long, I would recommend people to read it before they read the book. The introduction does as it should, by giving a sense of purpose and background of the expedition before it starts.
I liked how the book was written in a journal format by giving the date above the passage. The date helped give a sense of time in the book. The journal format also made the book seem easier to read. It gave the book a more realistic feel. I would not recommend this book to people who are looking for grammatically correct sentences. The sentences are taken down in log book form and are often not written grammatically correct.
I was sometimes confused on who was writing the journal entry. In some entries it was established who was writing it, but in others you had to find a clue in the passage to find the author. I often found myself skimming down the passage looking for hints to know who wrote it.
Because the book was edited by John Bakeless, it contained several footnotes. I found the footnotes extremely useful as I was reading it. They gave a definition and background to certain things that if it was your first time reading about Lewis and Clark you otherwise would not know of. For example you find out that one of their favorite foods was beaver tail.
In the beginning of the journey I started to get bored of it because it listed routine day-to-day activities like court-martials, hunting expeditions, and weather reports. But as I got farther into the book it became mildly exciting such as being chased by the grizzly bears, nearly falling off cliffs, almost drowning, or when they faced unfriendly natives.
Overall I did not like this book. I came in to reading this book thinking that this whole book was going to be filled with exciting events that took place during their expedition. I was disappointed and found only a few exciting events. If someone was to read this I would caution them that there are not many exciting parts and most of it is filled with mundane activities.