Undaunted Courage

Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson And The Opening Of The American West

By: Stephen E. Ambrose

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

From the New York Times bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the definitive book on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time.

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a vivid backdrop for the expedition. Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years. Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jefferson’s. There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century.

High adventure, high politics, suspense, drama, and diplomacy combine with high romance and personal tragedy to make this outstanding work of scholarship as readable as a novel.©1996 Ambrose-Tubbs Inc. (P)1996 Books on Tape Inc., All Rights Reserved; AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon and Schuster Audio Division, Simon and Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

Ken Burns Stephen Ambrose is that rare breed: a historian with true passion for his subject. Here he takes one of the great, but also one of the most superficially considered, stories in American history and breathes fresh life into it. Lewis comes alive as we've never known him.

Undaunted Courage

The book is destined to become a classic, no doubt. I am very disappointed, however, that a MAP did not accompany my purchase. When you consider the importance of this tool to the mission, (a fact that Ambrose recognized and strongly emphasized in the text) it remains unbelievable to me that a simple map which traced the L&C path (up the Missouri and across the Rockies to the Pacific) could not have been provided to the reader. It would add untold enjoyment if one could have consulted a somewhat detailed a map of the territory, as it was known then and another of the modern day view, as the journal unfolded.

I cannot believe that this suggestion went unnoticed during publication. I am curious as to whom and why it was shot down.

A Profound Education

Any additional comments?

I grew up in Idaho, very near the sites of some of the Expedition's travels. I learned about Sacajawea who, my teachers told us, was one of only two women in all the history of North American who was to be respected by Americans as a brave hero because she helped the explorers. I also learned that "Lewis-n-Clark" (one word) were great men who made it possible for me to live in an English-speaking Idaho rather than a French or Spanish-speaking land. And I learned that because of Lewis-n-Clark, we westerners can laugh condescendingly at fellow Americans from the East who call their little bumpy hills back there "mountains."

In subsequent years I learned from my historian-father about a few of the differences between the myriad Native Tribes scattered across the West, and how many, many of them should be remembered as heroes, for a variety of valid reasons, not all of which were helpful to early American squatters. He showed me the glorious Camas flower flowing over the high deserts near our home, and explained that if not for Sacajawea's introduction to the edible bulb, many in the Expedition may have starved.

My point here is that patient, truthful exploration of the realities of history is an evolving activity. I am so impressed with the rigor and insight that Steven Ambrose brings to this study. The impeccable validity of his research and documentation is stunning, and his summations and analyses of what might, in a lesser work, come across as merely tiresome details are presented in such a way that I never found my attention wandering or the focus of the narrative to wander.

I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the birth--and growing-up-years of our nation. To view itfro a across ridge as a long-ago story whos outcome we already know is far different from practically experiencing its adventures first hand, and Undaunted Courage allows us to do just that.

A Must Read/Listen for Lovers of History!

As a lover of American history, I kept hearing about this book but never got around to reading it. When I noticed that it was offered here at Audible and Unabridged - I figured it was about time to check it out. It's an absolutely marvelous book of highly researched and delightfully entertaining history. It is also narrated very well by Barrett Whitener. I was captivated from the very beginning to the very end. And I learned so very much about our country's early, pioneering years. I really enjoyed listening to this book and will probably do so several more times. Another favorite in my ever growing Audible library. Highly recommended.

The Great Land

I feel very lucky for our forefathers thinking so advance at the time, letting Lewis and Clark explore our great lands.

Outstanding, a must read for US History fans

Amazing story of Lewis and Clark, insights into President Jefferson and what they saw crossing the entire country on foot or boat. I didn't realize it was a military mission. Amazing what they found with the Indians. The account has a surprise ending. The book incorporates facts and insights taken from the actual journals of primarily Captain Lewis, and insights from other historians that connect the dots from the times and people surrounding the voyage.