Historian Mark Walczynski's new book is a much-needed reevaluation of previous histories, many now quite old, of the famous French exploratory voyage of the Mississippi in 1673. Scholars whose work involves the early French presence in North America as well as enthusiasts interested in the early history of the continent will find this new publication rich for the author's knowledge of the subject matter and rich in his new discoveries. Two important features of this book bring that voyage into better focus: up-to-date and pertinent reports from archaeological surveys and excavations of the sites mentioned in the story of that journey and linguistic analyses of Native American terms that help to clarify and explain important issues, including notes on bad translations that even Jacques Marquette made.
The intent of the book is twofold: (1) as the title states, to open up the voyage of 1673 for our better understanding, and...
