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Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West. Stephen E. Ambrose. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996. 511 pp. $27.50 cloth.
Two of the reasons the retelling of the Lewis and Clark expedition continues to capture the attention of readers is that they can learn about themselves through the experiences of these pioneer/adventurers and truth is indeed more mysterious than fiction. There are certain similarities in the story that are universal to everyone, while at the same time the contribution they made is unique.
Ambrose succeeds at two levels: 1) in delivering a storyline that is familiar to many in a manner filled with detailed descriptions, epiphanies, and well-reasoned interpretation, while 2) retaining content accuracy. Through the pages of Undaunted Courage one isn't merely given another version of a 19th century adventure, one is transported back to the...