The Making of John Ledyard: Empire and Ambition in the Life of an Early American Traveler

by Edward G. Gray

During the course of his short but extraordinary life, John Ledyard (1751–1789) came in contact with some of the most remarkable figures of his the British explorer Captain James Cook, American financier Robert Morris, Revolutionary naval commander John Paul Jones, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and others. Ledyard lived and traveled in remarkable places as well, journeying from the New England backcountry to Tahiti, Hawaii, the American Northwest coast, Alaska, and the Russian Far East. In this engaging biography, the historian Edward Gray offers not only a full account of Ledyard’s eventful life but also an illuminating view of the late eighteenth-century world in which he lived.
Ledyard was both a product of empire and an agent in its creation, Gray shows, and through this adventurer’s life it is possible to discern the many ways empire shaped the lives of nations, peoples, and individuals in the era of the American Revolution, the world’s first modern revolt against empire.

Genres: History

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Shane Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating figure. The thesis -- what is the thesis? Ledyard constructed a unique identity and lived in a specific context. So that like applies to everyone.

Actually the work is kind of boring. How can such a stupendously exciting historical figure become so boring? Easier said than done. Try consulting more psychology, anthropology, geography to enrich the interpretation

[Chris Kostenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredible story of an American Traveler who, at first, by coincidence crosses paths with famous people of the times (Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Morris, John Paul Jones, and more) and, in the end, is known well enough that he appears in newspaper stories and is sought after by powerful people. He has never achieved any great success and is penniless. He lives off of the culture of the gentlemen he meets on his travels. His life is a bit like the life of Zelig in the Woody Allen film. Also a bit like a pinball that bounces in a new direction each time it hits an obstacle.