The Essential Lewis and Clark Selections CD

 (9 customer reviews)

Are you a Lewis and Clark buff, just starting out? You've read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, and perhaps a couple other Lewis and Clark books. It's time to read the journals, but you are daunted by the thought of all that early 19th century wordiness, spelling and such?Me too.This book is great. It's just what it says it is. All the good stuff from Lewis and Clark's copious journals, all the highlights, well edited. The value of this book is as a starting place, perhaps. It's short enought to be read easily over a few days. Like all good introductions, then, if you want more you know where to look, and you'll now know what to expect. Landon Jones provides all the accessibility; Lewis and Clark still provide the wonder.

This review refers to the Unabridged Audio Cassette edtion of "The Essential Lewis and Clark" Landon Y. Jones, editor

These selections from the journals of Captains Lewis and Clark during their explorations in the early 1800's is not the complete text of their writings, but after 6 hours of listening you will come away with more then 'essential ' knowledge of what took place. The selections will take you the entire distance of this important and historical journey, and you will feel like you are part of it. Read by two great voices, Peter Friedman ("Brooklyn Bridge"), and Tom Wopat ("The Dukes of Hazzard"), each giving the Captains very individual and wonderful voices, and making it easy to know who's journals you are listening to.

Through the rivers and mountains, the Great Plains, you are there with them. It's not only an important piece of American History, but great adventures to get caught up in every step of the way, as they navigate unknown and untried...Read more

Landon Jones has extracted the most essential parts of the Lewis and Clark Diaries. This is good news for us, as the diaries are incredibly long, hard to read, and focused on detailed accounts of botany, geography, meteorology, and other requests of President Jefferson.

We hear about a full range of relations with the natives. Generally the Indians traded fairly and were helpful to our heroes. In the west, this was less the case, Lewis & Clark only survived a few encounters due to the credible threat of their US Army issued superior firepower. Our heroes also relate everything else that happened, fortunately Clark was an experienced medical man, familiar with treating social diseases common on the frontier.

Regarding their diet, I dont even like eating pork, yet these hardy figures subsisted on dog and horse. They had their lucky days when bear, deer, and salmon were handy, but more often then not, it was a dinner of roots and less desirable meats...Read more