Understanding the history of the West involves knowing about explorations that followed the Lewis & Clark trek and the subsequent journeys of mountain men. After leading two expeditions into the West in 1843 to 1844, John C. Frémont http://www.longcamp.com/proc.html became a national hero. His travels led to published reports of the successful journeys into relatively unknown regions; surveying, mapping, and describing the Rockies, the Great Basin, the route to Oregon, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Ferol Egan's biography provides an unvarnished view of Frémont, his courtship and marriage to Jesse Benton, his relationship with political powerhouse and father-in-law, Thomas Hart Benton, all of his five expeditions, and his rise and fall from public acclaim. (lj) ( )