A brief, competent, diligently researched account of the landmark Lewis and Clark expedition--without, however, much color or drama. Hawke (American History, Lehman College, CUNY) begins, as other historians have, by emphasizing Jefferson's role in instigating and--by his instructions--guiding the ""Voyage of Discovery."" We see the explorers prepare for the trip--studying the diaries of previous travelers, buying gifts for the Indians--and we get a feel for their routine en route. We're on hand as they chart hitherto unknown plant and animal life, hunt whatever's around for food, deal with surprisingly friendly Indians (aided, now, by Sacagawea), make constant repairs to the canoes and wagons--all the while vainly searching for an all-water route to the Pacific. Occasional excerpts from the explorers' journals are beneficially interspersed, and Hawke concludes with a swipe at one Dr. Barton, who promised to edit them and, in failing to, cost Lewis and Clark some credit for their discoveries. Anyone with more than a cursory interest will want to proceed forthwith to the Bernard DeVoto condensation of the journals--or the National Park Service's vividly detailed Lewis & Clark (1975).