“A large wide-eyed, genuinely exciting book. [Egan] succeeds in showing exploration as creative initiative rather than individual escapism. . . . It scores as grand storytelling.” —Kirkus Reviews 

“Ferol Egan has maintained a remarkable objectivity, avoiding the trap befalling many biographers who identify and sympathize with their subject. . . . Few contemporary Western writers possess both the patience and the skill to combine a scholarly methodology and apparatus with the effective, readable prose that characterizes the work of Ferol Egan. This massive volume can best be described as a monumental contribution. Authoritative, organized to sustain reader interest, and beautifully written” —California Historical Society