The Men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: A Biographical Roster of the Fifty-one Members and a Composite Diary of Their Activities from All Known Sources

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This is the most comprehensive version of the journals I have yet to read. I is a compilation of material from all the various journals kept by the members of the expedition. I recently visited the site at Great Falls, MT. where the Interpretive Center for that part of the expedition is located. It was well worth the drive to visit the center. I was on a limited schedule so couldn't spend as much time as I wanted but this book has been invaluable in helping fill in the details about the portage around the Falls.

My husband has commented several times on the remarkable details in this book. He is really enjoying it and found that some of the men came from our area in Southeastern IL. The seller did a great job of describing the book, even better than expected. The USPS was a bit draggy in delivery but that reflects on them and not the seller. I highly recommend both the book and the seller.

If your a Lewis and Clark buff and want more after you read about the journey then this is an excellent read. If your just looking for something to read this might not be the book for you. I often wondered what become of the Corp members and this book answered my curiosity.

As the book points out, most of the journals and writing about the Corp of Discovery has been meant to look at the scientific and geographical aspects of the expedition. This is a good look from the human side, and a great start for someone interested in the history to be introduced to the details of the trip.

I've studied the expedition for several years and gained so much by discovering how the team was recruited and how their individual skills and passions fit together. Much like the variety of instruments in a symphony orchestra.

I hiked some of the area's the expedition traveled in the Bitterroot Mountains. This book helped to give me a better idea of what the men went through.

This book is basically in two parts: the first is a listing of all 51 men associated with the L & C expedition and their biographies (most are very short since little or nothing could be learned about them); the second, and much longer part, is a reproduction of those sections in the Journals that mention specific men and their roles. Clarke believes that "as the men are rather lost in the maze of descriptive matter found [in the Journals], the aim of this condensation is to bring them back into sight." He has therefore culled the original journals, not only of Lewis and Clark, but also of Gass, Ordway, Floyd, and Whitehouse, seeking out the names and activities of the expedition's members. It's an interesting approach to the records of the expedition: in studying the original journals with all their mention of miles traveled, campsite locations, weather highlights, etc., it's easy to forget that it's a body of men who are performing this monumental task of exploration. Jefferson wanted the diarists to record "the facts"; this account adds the human element to those facts. A most interesting book.