Country United States Originally published 1996 Publisher Simon & Schuster Name Undaunted Courage Publisher Simon & Schuster | Subject Historical Language English | |
Cover artist E.S. Paxson (Lewis and Clark at Three Forks, 1912) Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback) Role Book by Stephen E. Ambrose Awards Ambassador Book Award for American Studies, Spur Award for Best Nonfiction Historical Similar Stephen E Ambrose books, Lewis and Clark Expedition books, Non-fiction books | ||
"Undaunted Courage" by Stephen E. Ambrose - Book Review
Stephen Ambrose interview (1996)
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West (ISBN 0684811073), written by Stephen Ambrose, is a 1996 biography of Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The book is based on journals and letters written by Lewis, William Clark, Thomas Jefferson and the members of the Corps of Discovery. While most of the book is dedicated to the expedition, several chapters are also devoted to Lewis's early life as a Virginia planter and Jefferson's personal secretary, and his later life as governor of the Louisiana Territory before his untimely death in 1809.
Contents
- Undaunted Courage by Stephen E Ambrose Book Review
- Stephen Ambrose interview 1996
- Review
- TV adaptation
- References
Review
The book outlines the expedition in detail including the route, interactions with Native Americans, scientific discoveries, wildlife, and landscape. As a biography the book is focused entirely on Lewis, and Clark, Sacagawea and the others are addressed principally in their interactions with Lewis. The expedition, and Lewis' life as a whole, is placed within the broader context of Jefferson's presidency, the opening of the American west, and early Indian Policy. The text is supplemented by maps and illustrations, including some drawn by Lewis himself.
The book was a #1. New York Times Bestseller in 1996.
TV adaptation
In May 2014, HBO announced plans to produce a six-hour miniseries based on the book starring Casey Affleck as Meriwether Lewis and Matthias Schoenaerts as William Clark.