No comments about For Honor & Country: A Diary of Bruno De Hezeta (North Pacific Studies).

No comments about 2 To 22 Days in the American Southwest: The Itinerary Planner (2 to 22 Days in the American Southwest).

No comments about Divine Magnetic Lands: A Journey in America.

No comments about Journal Kept by Hugh Finlay, Surveyor of the Post Roads on the Continent of North America, During His Survey of the Post Offices Between Falmouth Ad Casco ... Begun the 13th Septr., 1773 and Ende.

No comments about Topographic Recreational Map of Idaho.

No comments about The Barn: Classic Barns Of North America.

1 comments about Voyage to North America, 1844-45: Prince Carl of Solms's Texas Diary of People, Places, and Events.

1. I found the book interesting, however the best part of it were the footnotes and not the actual diary.Prince Carl sounds a little pompous, not quite what one would expect of "Texas Carl" as he was known in Germany.

5 comments about Exploring Lewis and Clark: Reflections on Men and Wilderness (Lewis & Clark Expedition).

1. Anyone expecting to learn about Lewis and Clark from Professor Slaughter's book will be sorely disappointed. This tome on the supposed "sins" committed by the leaders of the Corps of Discovery has more in common with a fictional account of the 28-month expedition than that which actually occurred. The following episode will serve to illustrate the level of distortion and disingenuous and unsupported interpretation of the original journals to which the author sinks.

   In Chapter 1 titled, Dreams, Professor Slaughter describes a hiking side trip to a location called Spirit Hill, a site that the local Indians believe is the "residence of Deavels". The entries in the Clark's journal on August 24th and 25th, 1804 also describe this hike. According to Professor Slaughter "...there is also a certain whistling-in-the dark quality to the entries, suggesting that the journal writers boyishly tried to hide how spooked they could sometime be in a place feared only by "savages"...as Clark explained, the force of the prairie wind was enough to make the hill; there was no cause to jump to superstitious conclusions based on this thoroughly explicable outcropping. We might suspect Lewis's voice in the explanation. We should also suspect that the confidence came only in retrospect, after they left this eerie place." Then following a direct quotation of a portion of the actual Journal on August 25th, we find the following from Professor Slaughter, "As they climbed, Lewis's dog "gave out" and returned to camp. A small detail, but worth reporting for some reason. Perhaps it was an omen; animals often sense trouble before humans can see it. In the context of Clarks's feelings during the ascent this detail took on meaning that it otherwise would have lacked."

   What is described in the journals is a far cry from the description and interpretation of the author. The August 24th Journal entry is a totally factual, no non-sense description of the Indians feelings about the "mound" on the prairie. There is no sense of foreboding, no sense of the superstition on the explorers part, just a straightforward enumeration of the fact that the local tribes, "Maha, Soues, Ottoes and other neighboring nations believe this fable, that no consideration is Sufficient to induce them to approach the hill." (The last quote from the Journal.) More than likely the entry in the journal was made after the return to the river since the journey was over night but on the other hand there is no evidence that it wasn't made in "real time". There is absolutely no reading of the journal, not a solitary word that can support the use of the word "eerie" or that they were "whistling-in-the dark", a concern that the superstitions held by the Indians would turn out to be real demons and devils.

   The description of why Lewis's dog "gave out" on the hike to Spirit Hill is totally absent and his ruminations on the reasons would appear to be completely fabricated. Clarks's August 25th entry in its entirety regarding Lewis's dog reads, "...at 4 miles we Crossed the Creek 23 yard wide in an extensive Valley and Continued on at two miles further our dog was so Heeted and fatigued we was obliged (to) Send him back to the Creek, at 12 o'Clock we arrived at the Hill Capt. Lewis much fatigued from heat the day it being verry hot & he being in a debilitated State...Several of the men complaining of Great thirst, determined us to make for the first water...". No special omen, no special animal intuition that trouble was just over the next hill or around the next bend. Clearly it was a very hot day and all, humans and animals, were suffering. The dog, a large Newfoundland named Seman, had the good fortune to be sent back while the humans struggled forward to accomplish their mission.

   Near the end of the book, the author disparages their map making and navigation despite the fact that modern geographers denote that after a journey of 4140 miles, Clark's estimates using dead reckoning and the navigation tools of the day had errors that totaled to less than 40 miles. They had in fact filled in the great gap in the pre 1806 maps of North America. And finally in his summary, Slaughter argues that Lewis failed Jefferson, his country, and himself. One only has to read Jefferson's instructions to Lewis and then to render this argument utterly false and nothing the author presents in 231 pages supports his conclusion.

   One could go on for 231 pages pointing out the silly errors and 21st Century judgments on 18th Century explorers but it would ruin a good day. Some books on the Lewis & Clark journey have amounted to some level of heroic cheerleading but this book goes off the cliff in the opposite direction. It adds nothing to the history of the era, the men, and several women, involved in the enterprise. If you feel compelled to purchase and read this book, do yourself a favor, first read Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. Then obtain a copy of the Journals of the Corps of Discovery so you can "deconstruct" the ramblings of Professor Slaughter. If you are a Lewis & Clark scholar, go to the library and pursue this book before you buy. Most likely you will reach the conclusion that investing in some other volume will be a better and more fulfilling course of action.




2. This book is just bizzare. I hesitate to label it a revisionist history, because this book is far more radical than that. The book is a series of essays where Slaughter's re-interprets events to a point where they have no basis in historical fact or in scholarship and takes cheaps shots at those who disagree with him. For example, in Chapter 5, Slaughter discusses the fate of Sacagawea, specifically whether she died in 1812 or lived until 1884. Slaughter believes that she lived until 1884, while most scholars believe that she died in 1812. God forbid if you are a historian that doesn't agree with Slaughter, because he appears to be incapable of making a reasoned academic argument and frequently resorts to invective and name calling. He refers to historians as "reliable" white men (his quotes, not mine)and implies that "cultural cleaning" was responsible for the creation of the 1812 death story. He takes several cheap shots at Gary Moulton (a well-respected Lewis and Clasrk historian), accusing him of making "a bold mistatment of fact" and attempting "to shut down the debate" on the subject. What exactly did Moulton do to receive this abuse? He wrote an essay expressing his opinion on the issue. I am not kidding! By the way, since Moulton spent the last 20 years of his life editing the definitive edition of the complete Lewis and Clark journals, I think he deserves to be treated better than this. I could go on and on, but why bother. I spent $24 for this nonsense. I would have been just as well off flushing my money down the drain.



3. If you think Lewis and Clark would have been better off on a voyage of discovery via peyote buttons, to their inner selves in the Mandan spirit world, rather than heading for the Pacific Ocean, this is the book for you.
   
   If you think they were just racist, sexist, homophobic, Christian, Euro-centric males out to take credit for the discoveries of the minority groups they were exploiting, you've hit the mother lode here.
   
   If you are searching for an example of the sorry state of American history as it is presented in academia (the author is a professor at Notre Dame), you need look no further.
   
   Some might call it an embarassing attempt to cash it on the popularity of Ambrose's UNDAUNTED COURAGE. Others might call it a pathetic attempt to exploit that book's popularity. I find both viewpoints to be useful -- EXPLORING LEWIS AND CLARK is embarassing AND pathetic.



4. Slaughter's book is, by far, one of the least enjoyable and befuddling 'history' books that I have ever read. The book is not a historical hack-job, for Slaughter knows his subject and has created a well-documented and researched work. The problem, though, is his flagrant revisionist bias, barely concealed throughout the book both in tone and content. I would strongly recommend more straightforward history tomes rather than this speculative retelling that places Slaughter in the shoes of Lewis & Clark... as though he knew their very thoughts. In fact, only Lews & Clark were themselves, and knew their thoughts.



5. Author is a jealous cry baby. I guess he upset that L&C went on one of the last great adventures and he didn't get to go along. Don't waste your money. You will soon find this book in the "8 for a dollar" bin at your local book exchange. I think I might send this one back to the author, I sure don't have any extra room on my shelves for garbage like this.

1 comments about The Interwoven Lives of George Vancouver, Archibald Menzies, Joseph Whidbey, and Peter Puget: Exploring the Pacific Northwest Coast (Canadian Studies, Vol 17).

1. The story of Vancouver's voyage to the Pacific North West is one of much hardship, persistance and determination. John Naish tells the story of the voyage by cross referencing the journals and diaries of four of the key players in this expedition. Taken individualy the journals are a great read themselves but when used to collaborate or just to fill in blanks it results in a very pleasant read. It takes the reader into the world of 1791-1795 in such a way that we can forget, briefly, what we have today and imagine the world during the times of the French Revolution and the emergence of America as a nation.

5 comments about Woodall's North American Campground Directory, 2006 (Woodall's North American Campground Directory).

1. Excellent book, sometimes the woodalls ratings are quite my opinion but otherwise a great source.



2. This is the first book we bought about anything related to camping and we brought it with us on our second trip. It was a life saver. We wanted to stop somewhere else on our way home and were able to find all the information we needed. The size of our space is important to us along with privacy and distance to local attractions. We found a lot of that information at each areas listing, along with a map of each state. Every camper needs a directory.



3. I ordered this for a friend's birthday and hoped it was right. He told me that it was exactly what he wanted and that there is a tremendous amount of valuable information contained in this guide. It was a perfect gift. Excellent and informative guide for Campers and travellers.



4. I bought this as a gift and it looks like the phone pages. Waste of money for us but would probably be great if I was a truck driver instead of a mom looking for fun places to go camping with the family!



5. although i don't do a lot of travelling, i find this handy volume a compleat source of all the information most essential to successful rv camping