The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery: The Abridgment of the Definitive Nebraska Edition (review)

Having devoted nearly a quarter of a century to editing thirteen volumes, more than 5,000 pages, of The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1983-2002), Gary Moulton has secured a place for himself in the upper echelons of historical editing. The set is justifiably touted as one of the major scholarly achievements of the late twentieth century. Now, with The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery, Moulton has condensed his masterwork into a single volume of scholarship accessible to a much wider audience. If we only look at the wild popularity of Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, to say nothing of the countless exhibits, books, calendars, articles, musicals, lectures, tours, reenactments, and movies being offered throughout the country in conjunction with the bicentennial of the expedition, we know the audience exists. It is a diverse audience made up of academic and popular segments alike and all of them may now go to the sources where the Captains and their crew can tell the story precisely as they saw it unfold in front of them: up the Missouri, across the Bitterroots, down the Columbia to the Pacific, and back again. It is an epic story no matter who tells it, but hearing it from the pen of the participants provides an unparalleled and authentic experience.

In this one-volume edition of the journals, Moulton's skillful editorial talents provide the clarifying information gleaned from his own studies as well as that of Lewis and Clark scholars who preceded him. He begins the volume as the Corps departs from St. Louis in May 1804 and presents an almost daily account of their journey until returning in September 1806. Within those twenty-eight months Moulton presents the ruminations of different members of the expedition, depending on the merits of their writing. Throughout the text he uses notes, conveniently placed on the side of the pages, to clarify events, geographic sites, biological, and ethnographical information. Each of the twelve chapters begins with a clear map depicting a geographic orientation of the Corps' journey: crucial for a complete understanding of the group's trajectory.

For all the people who have been bitten by the Lewis and Clark bug, this book affords them a manageable experience with the primary sources so critical to truly understanding the expedition. At the same time, it provides scholars and academics with an introduction to the corpus of Gary Moulton's complete edited volumes in a concise and affordable package. For everyone, the University of Nebraska Press in conjunction with the Center for Great Plains Studies and the UNL Libraries Electronic Text Center are in the process of putting the entire edited volumes online. With the entire work available electronically, this single volume will become even more valuable, serving as a guide through that massive body of work.