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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | In this sweeping adventure story, Stephen E. Ambrose, the bestselling author od D-Day, presents the definitive account of one of the most momentous journeys in American history. Ambrose follows the Lewis and Clark Expedition from Thomas Jefferson's hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart-stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis's lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. Along the way, Ambrose shows us the American West as Lewis saw it -- wild, awsome, and pristinely beautiful. Undaunted Courage is a stunningly told action tale that will delight readers for generations. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Stephen Ambrose | | Paperback: | 521 pages | | Publisher: | Simon & Schuster | | Publication Date: | June 02, 1997 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0684826976 | | Package Length: | 9.1 inches | | Package Width: | 6.1 inches | | Package Height: | 1.4 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.3 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 386 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review:
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 Fabulous account of the Lewis and Clark expedition Jul 27, 2010
This is a well-researched and highly readable overview of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Ambrose deserves credit for taking such a daunting historical event and condensing it into a single volume. While the first part of the book perhaps goes a little overboard in describing the preparations and the role that Jefferson played, once the voyage sets off there's no looking back. The encounters with the Indians are fascinating. The reader really feels like he's along for the ride as the expedition makes its way towards the Pacific Ocean. With our roads and skies now filled with countless vehicles and airplanes, it's easy to forget just how massive the continent appeared to its occupants in the early 19th century. Ambrose does a good job of presenting the enormity of the task that these early explorers took on. Lewis and Clark tackled the continent's unknown dangers with gusto, and Ambrose has given us the opportunity to come along for the ride. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Ambrose on the Lewis and Clark expedition May 31, 2010
There is countless material available on Lewis and Clark and the "Voyage of Discovery". I have enjoyed the read and consider it a very good introduction to the subject and the material available. For those who want to do more, the Moulton edition of the Journals is essential. Also worthwhile is Bernard DeVoto, "The Journals of Lewis and Clark". The Ambrose book works for book discussion groups as there is plenty to keep the conversation rolling as our group discovered.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A great book May 04, 2010
This is a very enlighting book. It is educational, but is like reading a novel. You will discover a lot about an important time in the history of the United States and what a visionary and genius we had in our thrid president,
Thomas Jefferson. This book started me on a quest for more knowledge about Mr. Jefferson that has not ended.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Major Robert Clark Floyd was the father of Sergeant Charles Floyd. Mar 10, 2010
Major Robert Clark Floyd was the father of Sergeant Charles Floyd of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. (On page 118, "Captain Charles Floyd" was mistakenly identified as the father of Sergeant Charles Floyd of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.)
In the context of this particular book, this error may seem like a small one to some. However, in the bigger picture (the significance to American history, and, in particular, the Floyd family genealogy) this error is certainly a large one. Therefore, this information is very important.
I am merely stating what many historical documents and letters state and what many historians and many members of the Floyd family already know to be true. Unfortunately, I do not have the time necessary to properly list the irrefutable evidence today. However, I will definitely add that information to this review at a later time. At that time, I will also do a more in-depth review of this book.
(Also, I have not yet had time to review all of the 377 reviews posted prior to this one, so I apologize if this information is redundant.)
Again, Major Robert Clark Floyd was the father of Sergeant Charles Floyd of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 A Little Disappointing Mar 09, 2010
Not long ago, I visited Oregon and some of the places where Lewis and Clark ended their journey across the continent, which made me want to read more about the expedition. All roads seemed to lead to this recent work from Stephen Ambrose, so I picked it up.
I have to say that I was a little disappointed. First, it's as if Ambrose couldn't quite decide if he wanted to write a biography of Meriwether Lewis or a history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The story of the expedition is couched within a proto-biography of Lewis' early and late life. There isn't enough there to really consider it a Lewis biography, and I think that the work would probably have been better if Ambrose had either left this material out, or greatly reduced it. Clark isn't profiled in this way, and Ambrose seems to lament in the introduction that someone has already beaten him to the punch with Clark.
Second, the writing is very workmanlike. The writing isn't bad, but it's not great either. The narrative is very slow in the beginning, but picks up steam as the expedition actually gets underway; however, none of it was especially captivating to me.
Third, Ambrose gets repetitious with "firsts," some of which are of dubious validity. Fairly early in the expedition, Ambrose treats us to a series of "Lewis and Clark were the first to do X" statements about every third page. Some are undoubtedly true, but others--such as Lewis and Clark holding the first vote west of the Mississippi, or being the first Americans to see a coyote, despite over 10,000 Americans living in Missouri when Lewis Clark got there--are probably not true, or simply can't be known to be true.
I was disappointed because I really wanted to like this book. I didn't dislike it, but it's completely average. I've read several other books by Ambrose, and this was disappointing by that standard. Ambrose wasn't necessarily a great writer of history, but he was a great popularizer of history, which is certainly important. While Undaunted Courage isn't bad, I'm certain that there has to be a more exciting story in the Lewis and Clark expedition than that offered here.
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