François Vallé and his world : Upper Louisiana before Lewis and Clark /

Ekberg (emer., Illinois State Univ.) traces the fascinating life of Francois Valle, one of the earliest and most successful pioneers in upper Louisiana. The study reveals much about pre-Lewis and Clark civilization in the upper Mississippi Valley and advances understanding of the French and Spanish colonial regimes that governed the territory. Ekberg's research relies heavily on primary source documents deposited in archives in both the US and France, but his account is far from a dry recitation of administrative correspondence and parish registers. The writing style is lively and interspersed with frequent anecdotes certain to captivate the reader's imagination. The story faithfully traces Valle's career from his near penniless arrival in New France to his emergence as the leader of one of St. Genevieve's most prominent French Creole families, capturing all the excitement of life on the early Mississippi frontier. Ekberg does not forget the less fortunate, and his account stresses the relevance and tribulations of the region's Native peoples and even more so the slaves. The complexity of the narrative may render the book challenging for some undergraduate students, but it should be valuable for advanced classes and scholars, as well as for genealogists. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. S. C. Hyde Southeastern Louisiana University