I have heard Undaunted Courage is great, and i've heard Ambrose plagiarized and that put a dampener on my interest in that book. I've heard the Lewis and Clark Journals by DeVoto is solid.
If you were going to recommend one book about the Lewis and Clark expedition, what would it be?
please and thank you.
I recently read Undaunted Courage and can still recommend it as a decent introduction to the topic. Although it is first and foremost a Meriwether Lewis biography, it goes into detail about the expedition's background and impetus, and then takes the reader step-by-step through the entire journey.
The plagiarism claims around Ambrose are certainly worrying, but this particular book doesn't seem to be the center of the controversy. I read through some of the criticism of the book, which primarily amounts to the idea that it's "a compilation of other people's work... 'Adding nothing substantially new.'" In a way that's true, the book is very much a summary/refresher on much of the previous research. But it serves that purpose well, if that's what you're looking for. It cites a vast number of sources, so anyone interested in delving deeper could use this as a starting point.
For someone who knows the basics and wants to go further, Donald Jackson's Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition has been cited as one of the topic's most complete works.
And of course there are the men's letters themselves, which are available online as edited by Gary Moulton.
Well, it may not be the best book, but it is a delightful read and a fresh new perspective. Try out Our Natural History, the Lessons of Lewis and Clark, Daniel B. Botkin, 1995. Berkeley publishing group, New York.
Thank you for your input and recommendations. I appreciate the help. I will check out Donald Jackson's book, and also the Botkin book. I'll most likely end up reading Ambrose as well.
thanks again.