Douglas spent several years clambering around the Northwest territories and up in British Columbia approximately 20 years after Lewis and Clark made their historic trek into what is now the states of Oregon and Washington. As canoes carried his blankets and clothing, he carried on his back a knapsack of his most important treasures - the collected items of flowers, grass, pine cones, skinned sage grouse and other small animals that he hoped to transport back to England.
The author, Jack Nisbet was able to catch the pioneering spirit of the time even though Douglas was a die-hard Brit bent on collecting and gathering as much of the unknown Northwest as he could. Douglas bartered on the ropes of tobacco he had in his knapsack, doling it out sometimes inches at a time. Other times, sitting down with the local native chieftains and smoking a pipe full. He walked and/or canoed his way up and down the various local rivers often wearing his shoes down and his feet to the point of blisters.
Douglas kept a detailed journal of his first trip to the Northwest and in it he talked about the scarcity of food, about learning to use a gun, becoming a decent marksman and constantly getting lost. (On a personal note I was amused by the tales of being lost and the other people in his traveling party having go and find him. I think that this is what would happen to me if I were in the same shoes. If anyone knows me well - they would probably agree!)
This book was very satisfying in that there was so much detail about Douglas's life. The amount of detail was actually a problem for this book as well. The author didn't recount as much of the story as it seemed there was in some instances. I came away from some of Douglas' travails wanting to know more about what happened. This is a minor dispute though because overall it is rich with the specifics of Douglas' journeys in the Northwest US and Canadian Southwest.
The one thing I wish was a part of this book was the drawings that Douglas made; (there are a few, I think, but they aren't explicitly stated as being his) nor are there any pictures of the flowers or other items he chose to pick up along the way. I think this would have made the book even more interesting because you could have compared his description to a picture of the item. He did collect so many items however, that it probably would have doubled the size of the book! I did find a picture in the public domain of a Sage Grouse which he talks about a lot in the book and I have posted it below:
I can tell when I am truly interested in a book. When I feel for the characters, when I am sad that they have died, or happy that they marry or acheive some great goal that they have strived for. I felt these things for Douglas as I read this book. He led an amazing life: he was inducted into the Horticultural Society of England, he was known almost world wide in his own time for his achievments in botony and his name is still important in historic and scientific circles. He has schools named after him in Oregon, day cares, and a school district. He will be remembered for a very long time to come. For me, I would have never known about him if I hadn't read this book: this book that definitely deserves to be read.
Rating: 8 / 10
ISBN: 978-1570616136
Publisher: Sasquatch Books
Edition: 1st / 2nd Printing
Remainder: No