Biography - yes, History - No
Mr. Philbrick would be better off writing for Tuesday afternoon soap operas and leave writing history to others. This is supposed to be a history of the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838. Instead it is an indictment and psychological analysis of its leader, John Wilkes. Philbrick repeatedly makes assumptions about Wilkes' behavior that are just that -- assumptions. The people who were there probably didn't know what was going on, much less a writer 163 years later.As a biography the book may have some validity. As a history of the expedition it is deeply lacking. We keep hearing of the conflicts between the various memebers of the expedition, the outrageous behavior of Wilkes -- forever. Little of the actual, day-to-day work of the expedition is in the book.I bought the book based on the reviews shown on the cover. I will check things out a bit more closely another time.