Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West

High Points:

Descriptions & Interpretations from the original journals - superb.

Multiple points of view, Lewis, Clark, the members of the corps of discovery, native americans, etc. Ambrose brings these to life.

Intricate step by step accounts of the trip.

Improvement Points:

At times it just moves along too slowly - Ambrose could have made it a bit more concise.

Confusing ending, did Lewis commit suicide? Was he muredered, Ambroses' guesses leave something to be desired.

All in all this is a good book which should be read by any aspiring student of history.

Joseph Dworak


Underestimates the reader's imagination and memory   May 13, 2004
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I was disappointed in this book, which I listened to on tape. It was terribly wordy, and took every opportunity to drum in the obvious or reiterate the dangers, deprivations, triumphs, etc. It seems to be a characteristic of popular histories to assume that the reader has no imagination and lots of time, and that fattened-up-by-repetion-or-too-much-detail is better. I did think that the information delivered was interesting and balanced. Still, the L & C expedition, as well as the lives of its participants and leaders, are interesting and inspiring enough not to need alot of commentary.


Parents Beware!   March 11, 2004
H. B. Estabrooks Jr. (Oak Ridge, TN USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Parents, If you're looking for a good history book for your children to read, please beware.

While Ambrose credibly presents the exploits of the Corps of Discovery, he also fails to resist the modern urge to talk about their sex lives. Descriptions of the men's sexual practices with the Mandan indian women and their varied venereal diseases are offered for our enlightenment. The author also regales us with the curious sexual rituals of the Mandans, themselves. In addition, for no particularly beneficial reason, Ambrose relates to us how cold the winter was by offering us the natural consequences to one who would chooose to relieve himself out-of-doors.

Parental caution is advised.


Fun Reading But Incomplete As History   January 28, 2004
John Bauer (Ft. Leavenworth, KS)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a biography of Lewis and not, as most assume, a history of the Lewis and Clark exploration. Ambrose himself goes to great length to point this out. One wonders if some reviewers caught on to this conspicuous difference. Undaunted Courage is worthwhile reading and a lot of fun. The best parts of the book focus on Lewis's Virginia roots, his relationship with Jefferson, and the leadership qualities of both Lewis and Clark during the expedition. The writer highlights the exceptional and worthy contributions Lewis made to natural science during their journey. Ambrose's treatment of the tragic decline of his subject toward suicide is balanced, thoughtful, and respectful. If there is a weakness to this book it is the familiar tendency of Ambrose to slip into slang to keep his material readable. Popular history has its trade-offs, I suppose.

This biography might be disappointing to serious historians but won't disappoint the average reader.


Thorough, Honest   December 9, 2003
Amazon.com Fan (Tehachapi, CA United States)
I really enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it every day. I found it a little difficult in the beginning (although I'd just finished the Harry Potter series, so maybe my brain wasn't tuned up). It's very dense reading--there's a lot of detail, which I appreciated--I felt like I was getting as close to honest as Ambrose could determine himself. I also enjoyed Ambrose's narrative commentary and footnotes. Maps were also helpful and useful. This is a book that I will always recommend!