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Undaunted Courage

Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson And The Opening Of The American West

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Undaunted Courage

By: Stephen E. Ambrose
Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
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About this listen

 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. Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Americas Expeditions & Discoveries North America United States World Native American American History Adventure

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.
All stars
Most relevant
This started off a bit too much like a schoolbook and I felt my mind wandering; but if you stick with it, you are brought into the trip and it's great. I found it very sad towards the end, as we are left to watch how Lewis suffers from being a great leader, to an ill shell of a man. Hankies at the ready!

Travels with Lewis and Clarke

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I own this book in print version. I've read it three times. I wanted to hear an oral version and this does not disappoint. Narration is excellent; the narrator has a clipped, almost period-sounding voice which I think adds to the majesty of this early 19th century story of intrepid courage and self-belief. It is also a tale of tragedy, lack of fulfillment and loss. A masterpiece in my opinion.

Simply excellent

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A fantastic read that takes you on a journey on which you feel a part.
At the end, such is the regard and respect you feel for Meriwether Lewis, his loss felt like that of losing a friend.

As though you were there.

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Starts slow, but bear with it and it is an incredibly compelling story. Worth every hour.

Worth listening to.

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This book is detailed but not laboured in it’s telling of what is now a very romantic account of the founding days of American exploration and later expansion into the west.

It is also a fitting tribute to those pioneers who undertook feats that can no longer be fathomed (on earth at least).

If there is one criticism I would say that the book does not fully tell the tale of Clarke, but, that may not be its fault due to his comparably smaller amount of writing contribution and rank which he holds.


The narrator is excellent and the quality is just fine.
I highly recommend this as a read and or listen.

A wonderful account of an epic adventure

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