Mountain man and fur trader Jedediah Smith (d. 1832) was the first white man to travel overland to California via the Southwest. In this narrative biography for general readers, Barbour (history, Boise State University) draws on Smith's journals and letters as well as recently discovered documents, such as those found in Mexican archives concerning Smith's controversial months in Spanish-Mexican California. Offering insight on Smith's human flaws as well as his courageous adventures, the biography describes his usually peaceful but sometimes violent interactions with Indian tribes of the American West, outlines his views on fur-trading competitors such as Hudson's Bay, and details how the natural landscape at times sustained and at times nearly defeated Smith. The book includes appendices of accounts of Smith's death and his probate records, plus 15 b&w historical illustrations and 2 maps. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)