Title

May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition set off from Camp Dubois. To celebrate the two hundred year history of this momentous journey, this booklist explores both fiction and non-fiction books about the men themselves, their journey, and the journals they kept.

Fiction Books

Gates of the Mountains
Henry, Will
Adult Paperback Henry Adult Fiction Henry

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to claim the newly purchased Louisiana Territory for the United States, a journey that holds more than a few perils. From a five-time Spur Award winner.

I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company
Hall, Brian
New Book Fiction Hall

Presenting the story of Lewis and Clark in an entirely new light, Hall uses the novelist's art to produce a compulsively readable book that fills the gaps and provides a new perspective on this great American story.

Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis
Burns, Ron
Mystery Burns

This mystery uses fiction to examine real-life questions about the death of Lewis in 1809. Long considered a mystery, and possibly a suicide, Burns portrays a plausible solution to the mystery.

Sign-talker: the Adventure of George Drouillard on the Lewis and Clark Expedition: a Novel
Thom, James A.
Fiction Thom

The saga of the Lewis and Clark expedition across a wild continent to the Pacific and back is told from the viewpoint of George Drouillard, their esteemed French-Shawnee interpreter and guide.

Stone Heart: a Novel of Sacajawea
Glancy, Diane
New Book Fiction Glancy

Told through the voice of the enigmatic Shoshoni woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark through the uncharted American West, this tale depicts the ordeals and triumphs of the famed expedition while drawing a lingering portrait of a woman of resilience and courage.

Non-fiction Books

Adventuring Along the Lewis and Clark Trail: Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Grossman, Elizabeth
917.804 Grossman

This book features state-by-state profiles of parks, natural preserves, and wilderness areas along the trail. It points out original Lewis and Clark campsites and Native American sites on the trail, and offers tips on the best hikes, walks, backpack and bike trips, and canoe and kayak adventures. Grossman also supplies readers with updates on current efforts to preserve and restore natural areas along the trail.

Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark
Holmberg, James, editor
Biography Clark

Over his career, William Clark wrote his older brother Jonathan at least forty-six letters. Six of those letters were written during the Lewis and Clark expedition. By exploring the content of the letters, readers gain insight into the expedition, the death of Meriwether Lewis, and the status of Clark's slave, York.

The Essential Lewis and Clark
Lewis, Meriwether
917.804 Lewis

Compiled by Landon Y. Jones, this book includes excerpts of the Lewis and Clark journals. Jones selected the most memorable journal articles, edited them slightly, and then annotated them, making the journals more accessible to readers. See the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Western rivers as Lewis and Clark first observed them. The journals also cover things such as Lewis and Clark's encounters with antelopes, grizzly bears, and Native Americans.

Exploring Lewis and Clark: Reflections on Men and Wilderness
Slaughter, Thomas P.
917.804 Slaughter

Slaughter, a Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, re-examines the journals of Lewis and Clark and offers his interpretation of what occurred on their travels. The author not only writes about Lewis and Clark, but he also explores why things may have been omitted in the journals, the myths associated with their travels, who the real Sacajawea was, and also explores Clark's slave, York. With his careful research, a unique interpretation of the journals is provided to readers.

The Journals of Lewis and Clark
DeVoto, Bernard, editor
917.804 Lewis

Stephen Ambrose wrote that this edition "is the ideal selection for the citizen-reader, an American classic in its own right, a book that will be read as long as the Republic lasts." If one were to read the true journals of Lewis and Clark, it would take reading 8 volumes of work (published in 1904). It was not until 1953, a century and a half after they were first written, that DeVoto produced his famous one-volume condensation of the journals.

Lewis and Clark: the Journey of the Corps of Discovery: an Illustrated History
Duncan, Dayton
917.804 Duncan

This book is a companion volume to the Ken Burns PBS documentary series. While it contains excerpts from the journals kept by Lewis and Clark, the strength of this book is the wealth of paintings, photographs, journal sketches, maps, and film images.

Lewis and Clark: Voyage of Discovery
Ambrose, Stephen
917.804 Ambrose

This volume is published by the National Geographic Society. Ambrose, considered an authority on Lewis and Clark, supplies the text, while the photos come from National Geographic photographer Sam Abell. While filled with informative text on how the team was started and about their journey, it is also filled with maps, illustrations, and drawings. The strength of the book comes from the stunning, modern-day photographs of areas along the trail.

Meriwether Lewis
Dillon, Richard
Biography Lewis

This biography is a well-researched and highly readable account of Meriwether Lewis. Dillon not only writes about the voyage with Clark, but also explores his youth in Virginia, his relationship with Thomas Jefferson, and his career as Governor of the Louisiana Territory. The final part of the biography is devoted to the tragic and mysterious death of Lewis at age thirty-five.

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

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead an expedition to the Rockies, down the Columbia River, and then to the Pacific Ocean. He and his partner, Captain William Clark, helped establish the United States claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Ambrose, a bestselling author, writes about the native peoples, weather, landscape, and the scientific aspect of the expedition. New details and facts about Lewis, Clark, Sacajawea, Jefferson, and others emerge thanks to Ambrose's findings.

William Clark: Jeffersonian Man on the Frontier
Steffen, Jerome
Biography Clark

While famous for his expedition, Clark also had a long and important career following his trail journey. This career is largely unknown to Americans, and includes years as an Indian agent for the Louisiana Territory, Governor of the Missouri Territory, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Western region of the United States, and founding partner of the Missouri Fur Trading Company. Steffen provides readers with a excellent, all-encompassing examination of Clark's life.

*Summaries are used with permission from Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
SG
Community Services Department
Tompkins County Public Library
May 2004