First Crossing: Alexander Mackenzie, His Expedition Across North America, and the Opening of the Continent
Scottish-born Alexander Mackenzie's (1763-1830) journal of his  travels across North America was published in 1801 as Voyages  from Montreal on the River St. Laurence Through the Continent of  North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in the Years 1789  and 1793. Mackenzie undertook this voyage from Fort Chipewyan,  Alberta, for the North West Company and became the first  European to cross the North American continent from the East.  His book was an immediate best seller. Napoleon Bonaparte  requisitioned a French translation, and Lewis and Clark carried  a copy on their westward journey. Hayes (Historical Atlas of the  Pacific Northwest) here provides an exegesis of Mackenzie's  journal, throwing light on the factors driving the Canadian fur  trade, the adventures and misadventures of the fur traders, and  the serendipitous discoveries that led to the opening of the  Northwest. Like Hayes's earlier book, this is richly  illustrated, containing several historic maps. Those who wish to  read another account of Mackenzie's expedition across North  America may refer to Barry Gough's First Across the Continent  (Univ. of Oklahoma. 1997). Recommended for academic and large  public libraries. Ravi Shenoy, Naperville P.L., ILCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.