First published 1983
Bernard DeVoto charts the grand sweep of North American exploration across three centuries. Beginning with Balboa's first glimpse of the Pacific, he follows the paths of conquistadors, fur traders, missionaries, and mapmakers as they push into unmapped territories. The narrative builds toward the monumental Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805, showing how each wave of discovery shaped the emerging American identity. DeVoto weaves together the stories of named expeditions and forgotten adventurers who risked everything to extend the boundaries of the known world. This third volume of his acclaimed Western trilogy captures the relentless human drive to explore and the political forces that transformed a continent. DeVoto presents exploration not as romantic adventure but as the practical business of empire building, revealing how geographic discovery became national destiny.
Genres: biography, history, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, non-fiction, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, epic, thought-provoking
Tropes: epic-journey, historical-figures
Setting: North America, Pacific
Period: 3 Centuries
664 pages · Paperback · University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE)