As the bicentennial of the start of Lewis and Clark's westward expedition (the Corps of Discovery) on 14 May, 1804 approaches, a plethora of books and media materials on various aspects of the expedition have appeared. These include a public broadcasting system production and Web site, various cookbooks, trail guides, an IMAX movie and an abridged version of the journals of Lewis and Clark. Added to these items is The Encyclopedia of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which aims “to encompass every aspect of the Corps of Discovery's journey” including people, events and nature encountered along the way. The authors have selected over 350 entries that they have judged to be the most relevant to the expedition, with most focusing on natural history, geography, plant life, indigenous peoples and the people who comprised the Corps of Discovery. Approximately 115 black‐and‐white photographs and illustrations from archives and historical societies appear throughout the book, along with 20 maps. An excellent nine‐page introduction puts the expedition in historical context. There is an explanation of the events leading up to the venture and the motivations behind it, as well as a concise overview and treatment of the results of the expedition. Following the introduction is a chronology of events outlining major discoveries, events and significant post‐expedition occurrences.
Most of the entries, for example Northwest Passage and Prickly Pears, are approximately one‐half page in length, with some as long as two pages for major persons associated with the expedition, such as Thomas Jefferson, or subjects such as “Weather”, “Women on the expedition” and “Medicine and medical treatment”. Similar to other Facts‐on‐File encyclopedias, each entry includes further reading suggestions of Web sites, online and print articles and books about the entry's topic or person. Within the entries, uppercase letters are used to indicate a word or phrase that is also an encyclopedia entry and helpful “see” and “see also” references are used to lead readers to related topics. This feature is especially useful because the original journals of Lewis and Clark contained variant spellings and versions of names; the cross‐references should help readers find alternate place and tribe names. In addition to an alphabetical list of entries, other useful finding aids are a list of entries by subject and a comprehensive alphabetical keyword index. There are also two appendices, “Tribes the expedition encountered” and “Maps”.
The comprehensive bibliography included at the end of the volume is divided according to topics such as Indians, geography and mapping, and natural history. This is one of the most valuable sections of the encyclopedia, and libraries may want to acquire it precisely because it contains this bibliography. Students doing research in this area would do well to begin with items from this bibliography, which also includes a list of high‐quality Web sites that provide additional information on the topics covered in the book.
The cost of the encyclopedia is very reasonable considering the high quality content, organization, maps, illustrations and bibliographical information included. It is a very good resource for students in history, anthropology and geography, or anyone interested in this watershed in American history, and is a highly recommended acquisition for college and university libraries.
