Items related to Ledyard: In Search of the First American Explorer
Before Lewis and Clark, Huck Finn, or Ishmael, there was John Ledyard, the first and greatest American traveler.
A veteran of Captain Cook’s final voyage, Ledyard walked across nearly all of Russia and suggested to his friend Thomas Jefferson that traversing the American continent was feasible?inspiring the Lewis and Clark expedition. When he died in 1789, he was preparing to venture into Africa. Once as famous as the Founding Fathers whom he had befriended and beguiled, the "American traveler," as Ledyard was called, fell into obscurity over the years, reduced to becoming a footnoted reference in Moby Dick.
Bill Gifford reenacted Ledyard’s 1773 escape from Dartmouth College in a canoe and followed Ledyard’s trail down the length of the Lena River in Siberia. In Ledyard he reveals the fascinating man in the legend, bringing back an American original and giving us a story that until now has not been fully told.
A veteran of Captain Cook’s final voyage, Ledyard walked across nearly all of Russia and suggested to his friend Thomas Jefferson that traversing the American continent was feasible?inspiring the Lewis and Clark expedition. When he died in 1789, he was preparing to venture into Africa. Once as famous as the Founding Fathers whom he had befriended and beguiled, the "American traveler," as Ledyard was called, fell into obscurity over the years, reduced to becoming a footnoted reference in Moby Dick.
Bill Gifford reenacted Ledyard’s 1773 escape from Dartmouth College in a canoe and followed Ledyard’s trail down the length of the Lena River in Siberia. In Ledyard he reveals the fascinating man in the legend, bringing back an American original and giving us a story that until now has not been fully told.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Back Cover:
BEFORE LEWIS AND CLARK, HUCK FINN, OR ISHMAEL CAME JOHN LEDYARD, THE FIRST AND GREATEST AMERICAN TRAVELER
Praise for LEDYARD:
"John Ledyard is probably the most fascinating historical figure you've never heard of. As I raced through the pages of Bill Gifford's enormously entertaining portrait of this astounding character, I found myself wanting to cheer. Ledyard is a terrific book." --Jon Krakauer, author of Under the Banner of Heaven
About the Author:
Praise for LEDYARD:
"John Ledyard is probably the most fascinating historical figure you've never heard of. As I raced through the pages of Bill Gifford's enormously entertaining portrait of this astounding character, I found myself wanting to cheer. Ledyard is a terrific book." --Jon Krakauer, author of Under the Banner of Heaven
BILL GIFFORD attended Dartmouth College; unlike Ledyard, he graduated. His writing has appeared in Outside and the New York Times Magazine. He lives in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication date2010
- ISBN 10 0156033054
- ISBN 13 9780156033053
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages352
- Rating
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