Beyond the Hundredth Meridian

Wallace Stegner is mainly based on John Wesley Powell's life and his adventures in the Colorado. Towards the end of the book Stegner writes about Powell's involvment in politics and how he tried to bring in land and water policies. In "Beyond the Hundredth Meridian," Stegner not only has good detail in writing about Powell's accomplishments, but also his philosophys and ideas that his work was based on. The book also includes some information about Powell after all his famous excusion down the Colorado River.
Though both John Wesley Powell's "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons" and Stegner's "Beyond the Hundredth Meridian" are both based on the same man and place, I felt that Powell's was easier to read, most especially since it was the actual man talking about his experiences, as oppose to someone else telling his story. Both books are great reads, but I suggest that readers read Powell's book first. Stegners book seems to have three dimensions: historical context, political context, and personal context. Not only does Stegner know a lot of Powell, but he also knows about the rivers as well, so the reader knows that he is a reliable source. This is a great book to read if someone wanted to know how Powell was and what he did throughout his explorations.