My new book on Lewis and Clark > Likes and Comments
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great bit with former Trump-man Scaramucci on Youtube (see on their site) and I'm sure you've seen the new Ken Burns parallax take on American Revolution? https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Creativemf wrote: "great bit with former Trump-man Scaramucci on Youtube (see on their site) and I'm sure you've seen the new Ken Burns parallax take on American Revolution? https://www.goodreads.com/author/show......"
I have not seen the new Burns yet -- need to see the Thoreau one, too. Hope to check them out soon! Thanks for watching the interview.
Hi Craig,
I read This Vast Enterprise , and must say I really enjoyed it. I did write a review which I know you saw as you "liked" it. I did mention in the review that I did not like the 2nd appendix, Sex in the Expedition. I'm just wondering if there was any debate, with yourself or others, as to whether or not it should be included? The whole appendix and specifically the part about Lewis and Clark possibly having a homosexual relationship. Just curious, and wondering if any others have voiced a view similar to mine that it was an unnecessary addition to the book?
David wrote: "Hi Craig,
I read This Vast Enterprise , and must say I really enjoyed it. I did write a review which I know you saw as you "liked" it. I did mention in the review that I did not like the 2nd append..."
Hi David,
First, thanks for your review -- I like your standard of rating books by how you enjoy them! I read in the same way. It means a lot to me that people are finding this new book fun.
The "Sex and the Expedition" appendix has not come up much, but most readers who have mentioned it seem to like it. Still, I have definitely heard a few frustrations like yours, and I appreciate you following up.
Since other people might read our exchange, I will try to summarize the appendix first. It covers a lot of ground, but in one paragraph I discuss the "possibility . . . that the men had sex with one another." All I wanted to do here was show what was possible to think or do in Lewis and Clark's time. (I tried hard to make this a book about their world, not ours.) And so, in that paragraph, I share details from an 1805 Navy court-martial about two men trying to have sex with each other.
I picked that court-martial because the witness was under oath and because an American ship was similar to an American expedition -- both isolated military outfits. If two men trying to have sex was possible on the ship, my reasoning went, then it was also possible on the expedition. I do not mean that it was likely or certain; I have no way of knowing that. I only mean it was possible.
At the end of the paragraph, I write: "Historians debate when identities like homosexuality emerged, but it’s certainly plausible that the men on the expedition engaged in similar acts, including the captains." I never meant to imply that Lewis and Clark had a modern "relationship" or even thought about sex the way we do today. I was only referring to the possibility of sex acts in military settings in 1805.
If you still think the appendix is an "unnecessary addition," I think that is a fair take, and I won't try to persuade you otherwise. For my part, I believe the appendix adds something to the book -- its points about DNA testing are fresh and important, for instance. But I also think reasonable people can disagree.
Again, I appreciate having a chance to discuss this further. Please feel free to follow up with more questions or your own thoughts -- I think it's wonderful when readers and writers can debate books in a friendly manner!
Best,
Craig
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Creativemf
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Apr 23, 2026 09:34PM
great bit with former Trump-man Scaramucci on Youtube (see on their site) and I'm sure you've seen the new Ken Burns parallax take on American Revolution? https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
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Creativemf wrote: "great bit with former Trump-man Scaramucci on Youtube (see on their site) and I'm sure you've seen the new Ken Burns parallax take on American Revolution? https://www.goodreads.com/author/show......"I have not seen the new Burns yet -- need to see the Thoreau one, too. Hope to check them out soon! Thanks for watching the interview.
Hi Craig,I read This Vast Enterprise , and must say I really enjoyed it. I did write a review which I know you saw as you "liked" it. I did mention in the review that I did not like the 2nd appendix, Sex in the Expedition. I'm just wondering if there was any debate, with yourself or others, as to whether or not it should be included? The whole appendix and specifically the part about Lewis and Clark possibly having a homosexual relationship. Just curious, and wondering if any others have voiced a view similar to mine that it was an unnecessary addition to the book?
David wrote: "Hi Craig,I read This Vast Enterprise , and must say I really enjoyed it. I did write a review which I know you saw as you "liked" it. I did mention in the review that I did not like the 2nd append..."
Hi David,
First, thanks for your review -- I like your standard of rating books by how you enjoy them! I read in the same way. It means a lot to me that people are finding this new book fun.
The "Sex and the Expedition" appendix has not come up much, but most readers who have mentioned it seem to like it. Still, I have definitely heard a few frustrations like yours, and I appreciate you following up.
Since other people might read our exchange, I will try to summarize the appendix first. It covers a lot of ground, but in one paragraph I discuss the "possibility . . . that the men had sex with one another." All I wanted to do here was show what was possible to think or do in Lewis and Clark's time. (I tried hard to make this a book about their world, not ours.) And so, in that paragraph, I share details from an 1805 Navy court-martial about two men trying to have sex with each other.
I picked that court-martial because the witness was under oath and because an American ship was similar to an American expedition -- both isolated military outfits. If two men trying to have sex was possible on the ship, my reasoning went, then it was also possible on the expedition. I do not mean that it was likely or certain; I have no way of knowing that. I only mean it was possible.
At the end of the paragraph, I write: "Historians debate when identities like homosexuality emerged, but it’s certainly plausible that the men on the expedition engaged in similar acts, including the captains." I never meant to imply that Lewis and Clark had a modern "relationship" or even thought about sex the way we do today. I was only referring to the possibility of sex acts in military settings in 1805.
If you still think the appendix is an "unnecessary addition," I think that is a fair take, and I won't try to persuade you otherwise. For my part, I believe the appendix adds something to the book -- its points about DNA testing are fresh and important, for instance. But I also think reasonable people can disagree.
Again, I appreciate having a chance to discuss this further. Please feel free to follow up with more questions or your own thoughts -- I think it's wonderful when readers and writers can debate books in a friendly manner!
Best,
Craig
