Louisiana Books

We recently moved to Central Louisiana, and had always wanted to experience the food typical to Louisiana. Mme. Coco's book is not only full of succulent recipes, but also makes a good read on being raised in Louisiana as a Cajun. The book also has easy to understand recipes, shopping lists, and serves as a great guide book for those who entertain or hold parties at their homes.

A gumbo of freshly caught crabs, oysters, and shrimps ... a jamablaya from the Cajun country ... the peppery red beans that Louis Armstrong so loved ... Antoine's famous pompano baked in a paper crescent ... hot puffy rice cakes once hawked on the streets of the Vieux Carre - these are some of the mouth-watering delights that bring travelers flocking to Cajun Country and New Orleans. Combining the culinary traditions of France, Spain, Africa with the Indian gift of New World ingredients, Cajun (Creole) cooking blends and balances these strains to produce its own unique and exciting style.

And to cook its authentic dishes you have to be in on the secrets. These secrets are revealed - lavishly and clearly - in Arlene Coco's new cookbook, Making It Easy: Cajun Cooking.

Now you can master the subtle flavors of Cajun cooking. The deliciously light and crusty New Orleans French bread ... a French Quarter breakfast of eggs Sardou, freshly fried beignets, hot cafe au lait, and bananas flambe ... a fabulous main course as served in Louisiana's finest homes, a traditional Acadian pot dinner that provides a festive party dish in which every bit of chicken or meat goes a long way ... and much, much more. Every recipe is written clearly step-by-step along with a shopping list. In some cases substitutes for hard-to-find local ingredients are provided, although perfectionists will be delighted with the excellent list of mail-order sources for fresh crayfish, indigenous spices, and more.

But this is more than a collection of superb recipes. The source and lore of various dishes are described in charming commentaries. Loving it, wanting to share and preserve its specialness, Arlene Coco has created a book that brings the true flavors of New Orleans and Southwest Louisana and the joys of Cajun cooking, to cooks everywhere!

Very colorful and well done pictionary type book. My party guests seemed to all spend some time brushing up on their mardis gras knowledge.

This book beautifully describes the Mardi Gras tradition of Louisiana and defines things related to it. Did you know that a scepter is held by a ruler as a sign of authority? Now I do too.

Schindler, himself a treasure-trove of history and lore of New Orleans' "golden age", shares through lucid and eloquent essays and stunning color plates the story of the evolution of the Carnival street pageant, from its beginnings in pre-Civil War affluence to the great depression of the 1930s. He weaves a tapestry of social, political and economic events through the warp of the lives of the great artists and artistic movements that shaped the unique street parades of the New Orleans Carnival. From the sadly anonymous creator of the 1858 Comus pageant memorialized in the London Illustrated News through the accomplishments of prolific Virginia Wilkinson Wilde and the remarkable Plauche family in the last century, Schindler offers a rich chronicle of the men and women who created a unique art form that provided mass public entertainment long before the invention of the motion picture projector and cathode ray tube. Those of us who have enjoyed his prior publications, Mardi Gras and Invitations of the Golden Age will delight in this latest addition to the multi-layered history of New Orleans' pre-Lenten celebration. Readers new to Schindler's magic will eagerly await his next opus.

Mardi Gras Treasures charts the specialty parade floats of Carnival in New Orleans from 1870-1930, examining classic and artistic themes and recreating original float designs in watercolor and lithographs. The author, Henri Schindler, has himself designed Mardi Gras parades and balls for some time: his striking full-color illustrations will appeal to a wide audience, from float designers to artists with a special interest in New Orleans works and history.

Whether your interest is socio-cultural, historical or purely aesthetic, you will treasure Henri Schindler's latest passport to the "Golden Age" of the New Orleans Carnival celebration. Schindler, who is himself a treasure-trove of information on this subject, has put together a most interesting documentary providing an in-depth discussion of the historical roots of the pre-Lenten festival against a background of the artists, illustrators and patrons who gave the "Golden Age" its particular look and ambience. The quality of the color reproductions of the invitations that make up a major part of the book is most impressive. The color and clarity of these (mostly) art nouveau works comes across on each page, leaving the reader with the feeling that he or she has truly been a part of this romantic era.

Over two hundred invitations, dance cards and admit cards are assembled here in a coverage of the art work associated with the Mardi Gras which began in the 1870s and was marked by pageants and private balls. While Mardi Gras Treasures is a specialty collection of interest to those researching New Orleans collectibles and Mardi Gras collectibles in particular, many a reader will delight in these full-page illustrations.

I love this cookbook. All of the recipes tasted great, and the photography was beautiful.

This is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen. Being from the region, I feel that sometimes people do not get an accurate picture of who and what we are. This book tells it beautifully. Not only with wonderful regional recipes, but with beautiful photography and interesting and insightful information.

This would be a wonderful gift for someone not from here who would like to get an idea about the area and the culture of Southwest Louisiana.

This book presents a good overview of how the fair came to St.Louis, the preparations for it, major ingredientes and what happened after that.

This is an excellent choice if you are looking for a feel of the fair and the world at that time. The book starts with how the world was at that time and how the preparations for the fair took place and ends with a narration of what happened to the buildings (and the Ferris wheel) after the fair. It was interesting to read that the fair itself was forgotten until the 1944 film, "Meet Me in St.Louis".

This answered a lot of questions that I had about the fair. If you are looking for a detailed view of the fair, I would recommend "Inside The World's Fair of 1904 - Volume 1 and 2" by Elana V. Fox.

I orginally purchased this book for my 8 year-old niece who is becoming interested in American history. After flipping through the book and being drawn in by the illustrations and their witty captions, I sat down and read the whole thing myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned quite a bit about St. Louis to boot, including surprises such as the fact that the first Olympic Games to be held in America were at the St. Louis World's Fair. The author does an excellent job of not only bringing the fair to life, but puts it in the proper context of St. Louis and America. Indeed, one can almost smell the ice cream cones and hot dogs, two of the foods said to have been invented there. Nor does he ignore some of the less savory aspects of the Fair, such as the forced confinement of Filipinos in their semi-permanent exhibit under miserable conditions. All told, this was a wonderful book, which my niece very much enjoyed as well, after I finally coughed it up!

I came across this book at Barnes and Noble's. Peaked my interest since I spent most of my life growing up in Hog Alley. Lots of interesting old pictures and explanations of names found in Metairie.

Very well put together compilation of information, pictures, maps and so very much more. Cathy Campanella put an extraordinary amount of time and talent into this one. A "must have" for any Merairieite or New Orleans history buff!

Occasionally there emerges a book which has an influence farbeyond its original intended audience. Hardy and Carrithers'"Milton and the Hermeneutic Journey" has clearly emerged as just such a work. Any work hailed as a 'landmark in intellectual history' must, to make such a claim, appeal to intelligences of varied casts and backgrounds. This work passes that test. Any reasonable well-educated person will vibrate to Hardy and Carrithers' intricate argument. This defining work is the hallmark of a superior paradigm and is a resounding success!

This has to be the greatest book of all time. Through it, I have found the meaning of life. Dr. Hardy's masterfully written account of Milton captivates the mind and spirit. The reader will find that love is the answer to all even though there is no question. To live is to suffer. Buy this book and you will NOT be disappointed.

The third novel about the bunch of excentric characters living in the fictional, but oh-so-real, Tula Springs, Louisiana.
Funny and sad. And very intelligent. Wonderfully written.
"Mr. Wilcox has real comic genius. He is a writer to make us all feel hopeful" said Anne Tyler.

Imagine yourself at a particles accelerator at CERN.

First, assemble the ingredients. Mrs. Olive Mackie, her husband Duane and her teenage son Felix. Uncle L. D., age 91, who depends on various females of this story to keep him going. Dr Martin Bates, student of dentistry, so helpful and charming... Assorted women of the neighborhood, who all went to school together. And, of course, Miss Undine, the retired schoolteacher of them all.

Now, mix them all together and accelerate. Gossip and rumors start spinning, congealing into delicious back biting. Wait for it to stop spinning, to see whose life and reputation is still in one piece.

A delightful book, full of humor and sharply etched pictures of life in a small southern town.

Most gardening books are not relevent to our climate- Gill's writing is cogent and intelligent

Creating a garden and keeping color in Louisiana is difficult. The heat and clay soil don't make it easy for plants or gardners. This book offers really great advice on making the most of your garden inspite of the problems the state's climate poses.