Essays Cover Expedition

The thing about history is that you can never read enough. Everyone seems to have a new, and sometimes conflicting, perspective.

And then there’s the mass of information. So much has been written, for example, about Lewis and Clark that you’d think the subject might be nearly exhausted.

But that’s exactly the problem. With all that has been written, the layman has a difficult time figuring out where to start.

The Montana Historical Society has come to the rescue. “Voyages of Discovery: Essays on the Lewis and Clark Expedition” (368 pages, $45, $19.95 paperback), edited by James P. Ronda, is a collection of writings about the epic journey that covers the full range of issues.

The book is divided into six sections - “Genesis,” “The Corps of Discovery,” “The Journey,” “Mutual Discovery,” “Homecoming” and “Looking Back” - and contains the writing of those whom other students of history have come to respect.

“Finally, in one place, we have a sense of the remarkable breadth of knowledge Jim Ronda, John Allen, Gary Moulton and Other Lewis and Clark scholars bring to this immensely important moment in American history,” wrote documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. “All of us who follow along the trail are indebted to them.”

If you can’t find the book locally, call the historical society at (800) 243-9900 for ordering information.

Community writing

In 1994, Eastern Washington University creative writing instructor Nance Van Winckel took six of her graduate students on a visit to West Valley High School. Her intent was to bring the spirit of good writing out of the classroom and into the community.

Four years later, Writers in the Community is an EWU student-run program whose aim is to teach writing at a range of community organizations, from elementary schools to prisons.

The program’s first collection of writing, InRoads Anthology (Eastern Washington University Press, 66 pages, $4.95 paperback), has hit the stands. It features works from writing students at West Valley and Lewis and Clark high schools, the Discovery School, Spokane Juvenile Detention, Eastern State Hospital, Airway Heights Correctional Facility and Crosswalk.

For information on either the anthology or the program, call 623-4227.

The reader board

Shelby Scates, author of “Warren G. Magnuson and the Shaping of Twentieth Century America,” will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington.

Tony DeLateur, VP of Merrill Lynch, will present “The Millionaire Next Door: Reflections on the Popularizing of Personal Finance,” at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Clarke & Stone Book Co., 204 N. Division.

Joseph Sheppherd, author of “The Island of the Same Name,” will read from his novel at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Auntie’s Bookstore.

Frank Bartel, author of “World That Never Was,” will read from his novel at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Shadle Hastings, Wellesley and Ash.