Across the Wide Missouri (American Heritage Library)

Whereas Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" got me interested in the early exploration of the American West, "Across the Wide Missouri" got me interested in the actual lives of the mountain man and fur trapper/traders, and how they also explored unknown regions of the west. Their day to day existence and survival amongst the Indians, dealing with the forces of nature, the early stages of Manifest Destiny, etc. were all to me mind boggling. DeVoto brings to life the fur trade at the peak of its industry. I must agree with a couple reviewers though on how the text does get somewhat wordy and complex, the list of characters involved is quite lengthy and one is always flipping back and forth to the maps and notes. But this is what it takes to tell the whole story. From his bibliography one can pick and choose which books are of interest to the reader and take it from there, that's what I have done. I would recommend this book to those of you that are interested in this time period.

The best historical writing combines the quality of scholarship with that of literature, and that's what we have here. First published in 1947, this book is a deserved classic. It's the story of the Rocky Mountain fur trade in the latter half of the 1830s, a time of outrageous characters and extraordinary deeds, set against the finest landscape. DeVoto resolutely refuses to judge people of the 1830s by the standards of a later century. This is what infuriates the "politically correct". But DeVoto is surely right - any other approach might tell you something about the historian's own time but would shed little light on the period under study. Instead DeVoto's honesty brings his characters vividly to life. That doesn't only mean the fur trappers. He has a detailed and discerning knowledge of the Plains Indians, and appreciates the cultural, linguistic and indeed political diversity of the various nations. The Native Americans emerge as striking individuals in their own right. The book has been called romantic. Well, DeVoto is certainly keenly aware of the romantic quality of his epic tale, but he doesn't romanticize things. He's much too good a historian to make unprovable assertions. Always he has the evidence to hand, and if he repeats a tall tale, it's only for the pleasure of the telling and he's careful to point out when the source can't be trusted. His depth of research combined with a keen eye for the relevant detail make for a highly readable result. What all this adds up to is an elegy for two lost ways of life - that of the fur trappers and that of the Plains Indians, who managed to be friends and enemies at the same time. But both were swept away by outside forces that were huge and irresistable - Manifest Destiny as it was called, and its expression in the great migration to the West starting in the 1840s. Reading this book is like listening to an old friend telling great tales by the campfire on a warm evening. Fine work indeed.

Bernard Devoto wrote before the mavens of political correctness had the power to harm honest research and writing, so it is to be expected that some contemporary readers would be hurt and confused by his frank and realistic depiction of the west of the fur trappers. Devoto spent years researching this classic, then presented his findings in polished prose that evoked the period and the wild life of his subjects. This, like all of his historical works, is worth reading more than once.

A very romantic view of the subject by a master wordsmith. Reading, no, experiencing this book affected me very deeply, and I have since delved deeply into DeVoto's writing and his life. The reviewer who found this book to be poorly written has greatly different standards than do I, because this writer thinks it is a gorgeous book. I am fortunate to possess a first edition with many of the color paintings, captions for wich were the original purpose of the project. A must for anyone who wants to truly feel the early western experience.