Lewis & Clark

The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

By: Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan

Narrated by: Ken Burns, Adam Arkin

Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The companion audiobook to Ken Burns's PBS documentary film.

In the spring of 1804, at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson, a party of explorers called the Corps of Discovery crossed the Mississippi River and started up the Missouri, heading west into the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.

The expedition, led by two remarkable and utterly different commanders - the brilliant but troubled Meriwether Lewis and his trustworthy, gregarious friend William Clark - was to be the United States' first exploration into unknown spaces. The unlikely crew came from every corner of the young nation: soldiers from New Hampshire and Pennsylvania and Kentucky, French Canadian boatmen, several sons of white fathers and Indian mothers, a slave named York, and eventually a Shoshone Indian woman, Sacagawea, who brought along her infant son.

Together they would cross the continent, searching for the fabled Northwest Passage that had been the great dream of explorers since the time of Columbus. Along the way they would face incredible hardship, disappointment, and danger; record in their journals hundreds of animals and plants previously unknown to science; encounter a dizzying diversity of Indian cultures; and, most of all, share in one of America's most enduring adventures. Their story may have passed into national mythology, but never before has their experience been rendered as vividly, in words and pictures, as in this marvelous homage by Dayton Duncan.

Plentiful excerpts from the journals kept by the two captains and four enlisted men convey the raw emotions, turbulent spirits, and constant surprises of the explorers, who each day confronted the unknown with fresh eyes. An elegant preface by Ken Burns, as well as contributions from Stephen E. Ambrose, William Least Heat-Moon, and Erica Funkhouser, enlarge upon important threads in Duncan's narrative, demonstrating the continued potency of events that took place almost two centuries ago. And a wealth of paintings, photographs, journal sketches, maps, and film images from the PBS documentary lends this historic, nation-redefining milestone a vibrancy and immediacy to which no American will be immune.

©2012 Dayton Duncan (P)2012 Random House

Wonderful

Great history lesson... and right in my backyard. Much appreciated and well read. Thank you

Great listening

This is a fairly brief but interesting account of the voyage to explore the West at Jefferson’s request. Great diary accounts!

Truest Story Of America

I have owned these historical accounts on paper as well as DVD. Such a joy to have these journals on audio as well. Such extraordinary events that must be shared with all generations. My most favorite account of the history of the exploration of the world. I have explored these journals dozens of times and I look forward to exploring them dozens of times more. Truly remarkable tales of history.

fabulous

I was never a history buff in high school, if Ken Burns would have been my teacher I would have been an 'A' student.

Spellbinding story

The story is well told and engaging
The main narrator sounds a bit monotonous, this could be improved.

Outstanding

Listen to this great book as we drove across the country…..very fitting and enjoyable.

Great to understand what they did

The story was written well and performed very well. It would’ve been nice to get deeper into the mindset of both Clark and Lewis but that is for possibly another book.

Excellent

Loved it a lot
Listened twice
Will listen again
Fantastic
Loved the reader
Will listen again now

Just Right!!!

For me, this was the perfect introduction. The story was gripping. The audio performance, which had difference voices, was outstanding. There was a good mix of story/explanation, journal quotes, and commentary. I am actually going to listen through it again. I read most reviews on other L&C audio books, and this was just the right length and level of detail I was looking for.

Good overview

I learned the basics of their journey, which is what I was hoping for. It’s a good and interesting overview.