Many books have been written concerning the Lewis & Clark Expedition. This book has a new twist. Captain William Clark narrates the story as if he were able to come back to the Twenty-first century and share his adventures with you. He gives you the background of the expedition, showing President Thomas Jefferson's drive to find a Northwest Passage. He had a dual purpose. (1) Commerce. He wanted o find a direct water route from the Missouri to the Columbia and on to the Pacific Ocean. (2) Empire. He wanted to build an "empire of liberty that stretched from sea to shinning sea." As Captain Clark narrates the story, you will share the sufferings and the joys of the men. He will tell you about the times they were near starvation, their encounters with wild animals, and friendly and unfriendly Indians. They were given up for lost and almost forgotten when they arrived in St. Louis over two years and four months after they had left Camp Wood. You will realize their success depended upon them becoming a family and working together.