Amazon.com (ISBN 0792264738, Hardcover)

In his preface, Stephen E. Ambrose describes the expedition of Lewis and Clark across the North American continent and back (from May 1804 to December 1806) as "the greatest camping trip of all time, and the greatest hunting trip. And one of the greatest scientific expeditions ever." It's a trip that Ambrose and his family often emulate, camping in the same lands the expedition first encountered nearly two centuries before them. In 1997, he was accompanied by National Geographic photographer Sam Abell. Some of these stunning pictures lead off the account of the journey presented here, and then pepper the second half of the book, which is also filled with period illustrations and maps. Ambrose has told the story of Lewis and Clark before, in the bestselling Undaunted Courage; the version he tells in Voyage of Discovery is shorter, but is also filled with his own contemporary reflections upon the men and the lands they traveled. This coffee-table book will delight lovers of history and nature alike, and may well inspire you to pack up your gear and hit the trail.

Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0792270843, Hardcover)

Lewis & Clark

Probably no one knows more about Meriwether Lewis and William Clark than bestselling author and historian Stephen Ambrose, and Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery reflects his superb command of -- and deep affection for -- this epic American journey.

Highlighted by Sam Abell's stunning photographs, this engrossing historical narrative interweaves choice entries from the explorers' journals with the author's own latter-day chronicle of how he and his family continue to discover the Trail today.

Here is the whole extraordinary saga, from its visionary spark in Thomas Jefferson's mind to the expedition itself, with its hardships and adventures. Ambrose's own observations offer a modern look at the land and those who live in it, including the Native American descendants of the tribes who stood between Lewis and Clark and the Pacific Ocean.

Superlative history, breathtaking photography, and an epic tale of exploration, endurance, and enterprise -- the classic ingredients that readers everywhere have come to expect from National Geographic.