Meriwether Lewis: A Biography

New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1965. Brown cloth binding. Blind stamped letters on the front cover. Endpapers are maps. Dust Jacket is price-clipped with wear along the edges. Some clear tape reinforces the top edges. Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was born near Charlottesville, Virginia, to Captain George Jefferson who was of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether. Between 1804 and 1806, the Corps of Discovery explored thousands of miles of the Missouri and Columbia River watersheds, searching for an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean. Generally sharing leadership responsibilities with William Clark, although technically the leader, Lewis led the expedition safely across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific and back, with the loss of just one man, Charles Floyd, who died of apparent appendicitis. In the course of the journey, Lewis observed, collected, and described hundreds of plants and animal species previously unknown to science. The expedition was the first point of Euro-American contact for several Native American tribes; through translators and sign language, Lewis conducted rudimentary ethnographic studies of the peoples he encountered, even as he laid the groundwork for a trade economy to ensure American hegemony over its vast new interior territory. After returning from the expedition, Lewis received a reward of 1, 500 acres (6 km²) of land. In 1807, Jefferson appointed him governor of the Louisiana Territory; he settled in St. Louis. Lewis was a poor administrator, often quarreling with local political leaders and failing to keep in touch with his superiors in Washington. . First Edition. Full Cloth. Very Good/Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Hardcover.