Louisiana Books

If you think "Southern Living" is just your mother's favorite magazine, read this book by the couple of crazy guys who started it. Logue and McCalla's hilarious back-and-forth is just one of the many attractions of this terrific story. Their irreverence about one of the New South's beloved institutions is refreshing, and their insights into the magazine business are like a short course in publishing smarts. A great read!

This book fills a definite gap in American literary history. It is the first full-length study of a man who was perhaps more representative of the late ninteenth-century literary scene than Twain, Howells, or James.

Thompson was reared in the Cherokee country of Georgia. He spent much of his time out of doors and throughout his life never lot his love of nature. In 1868 he moved to Indiana where he alternately practiced law and civil engineering. His urge to write was strong, however, and he abandonned both professions to make a career of writing.

Hundreds of articles and poems followed, in Atlantic, Independent, and other publications. among the novels he published were A banker of Bankersville: A novel (Romance series), A fortnight of folly, and the most successful, ALICE OF OLD VENCENNES, which sold more than 350,000 copies.

Although Thompson was a literary success, he was never able to support his family properly, nor did he ever feel accepted by the eastern "establishment" represented by the Century, which seldom took his work. Nevertheless, he was an extremely popular lecturer, receiving standing ovations at many eastern halls on the Chatauqua circuit.

Some contemporaries considered him a genius, for he was a woodsman, lawyer, politician, engineer, scientist, poet, critic, and novelist. Others found him only a gadfly of the literary journls and a slick and hasty writer. In any case, his was one of the strogest and most heeded voices in the "genteel" reaction to realism.

Wheeler thoroughly analyzes Thompson as naturalist, poet, critic, and novelist and finds him, not surprisingly, a writer of the second rank. Yet as a weathervane indicating the direction of the literary wind, he was unsurpassed. Therein lies his value today. Thompson's work, as illuminated in this study, presents as excellent index of the real temper of American literature from 1875 to 1900.
--- from book's dustjacket

In a city where eating is a main attraction, New Orleans cuisine is as distinctive as it is succulent. A Little New Orleans Cookbook charmingly showcases some of the Big Easy's most beloved recipes. With every turn of the page you can almost witness the teeming city coming to life: streetcars clacking along the streets, the garish coronets of a passing funeral procession marching sedately along the Rue, and the tantalizing scent of chicory laced coffee and beignets wafting from the cafes. A Little New Orleans Cookbook is richly steeped in the fabulous heritage and exotic grace of New Orleans taste.

This is an excellent introduction and travel guide to the southern states in and around the Mississippi delta region. It covers Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee along with information on towns and cities such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and many more.

I recently had the opportunity to travel through most of the region covered in the travel guide - before the hurricane in 2004. I drove my car (from Toronto) down through Louisville and into Tennessee, then on to Alabama, Mississippi, making a loop through New Orleans, going north through Louisiana to Baton Rouge and departing the delta into Texas at Shreveport, taking the interstate to Dallas. This whole delta region is a very unusual region. I was intrigued by the vast areas of swamps in southern Louisiana and the elevated interstate highways. These are constructed like continuous bridges elevated above the swamps. This region contains many beautiful southern farms and forests. I was a bit disappointed by New Orleans and think it is a bit over hyped as a tourist destination and it has a reputation of being a bit dangerous after dark. Having said that it does have its own charm, cooking, and unique culture, and it is probably the most interesting spot to visit in this area. It is a city that one does not want to skip.

The book is an excellent and a very well balanced guide. I was pleasantly surprised to use this book as a guide and resource. It has lots of photographs, maps, descriptions of things to see, places of interest, local culture including southern cooking, and more. The book has many things that communicate the unique lifestyle, history, and culture of the region and it makes for an excellent travel reference. All you need is this book and a book of state highways or download a Yahoo trip planner that gives driving instructions. I prefer the map book that are typically 8.5" x 11" that have one state map per page plus the overall intersate guide at the front.

The guide has the usual lists of hotels and restaurants, but I booked my rooms by the internet or just stayed a local places as I found them by car. Book your city hotels in advance. New Orleans and Memphis are sometimes very busy. In any case the restaurant guide is good.

Good buy and I highly recommend.

Though it deals with serious subject matter, this book is absolutely hilarious. The characters are well-drawn, believable, and deal with difficult situations. This one is a page-turner; the reader won't want to put it down until this entire story is unfolded. The plot takes turns you won't suspect until they happen, and it would be sinful to give them away to you now! Even if you don't normally read books in this genre, I guarantee you'll enjoy every word.

"Louis William DuBourg" is the a well researched and thorough biography of a most significant figure in the Catholic Church in the early United States and in his French homeland. It also provides the reader with an insight into the tempestuous world of DuBourg's day.

DuBourg's life spanned centuries and continents. Born in Saint-Domingue, the current Cap Hatien, Haiti in 1766, he moved to his family's home in Bourdeaux, France at the age of two. Throughout his life efforts to recover lost family properties at Saint-Dominigue would remain an interest and distraction. A member of a large and prosperous family, Louis sought an ecclesiastical career by enrolling at Saint-Sulpice, the most prestigious French seminary of his day. He was ordained in 1790, in a France torn by Revolution. As the years of turmoil ravaged the Gallic Church, DuBourg and many other clergy were forced to seek asylum in other countries. Fleeing to Spain, DuBourg remained there until the outbreak of war between France and Spain in 1793 made Émigrés unwelcome guests and sent them off again. For DuBourg, this meant the fledging United States where this scholar found a field of service in Baltimore and Georgetown. Serving as President of Georgetown College (now University) and St. Mary's College in Baltimore, DuBourg made important contributions to the growth of both the Church and education in his adopted nation. While in Maryland, DuBourg played a significant role in the spiritual direction of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her establishment at Emmitsburg, Maryland.

When the American Episcopate expanded in the early 19th century, the primary candidates were French Revolutionary Exiles. Dubourg was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas in 1812, although his actual elevation to the post of bishop was deferred for three years due to the kidnapping of Pope Pius VII by Napoleon.

Upon arrival at his new post, DuBourg found an unreceptive field in New Orleans so he chose to establish his residence in the much smaller community of St. Louis for three years. Although conditions in St. Louis were primitive, DuBourg's contacts and travels in Europe and elsewhere were to yield an impressive crop of recruits from religious orders which continue to serve the Church in Missouri to this day. He established St. Louis College which is now St. Louis University, a premier educational institution of the Middle West. While in St. Louis DuBourg was a spiritual guide to another saint, this time St. Philippine Duchesne, whom he recruited to serve in Florissant, Missouri.

Finding conditions more suitable, DuBourg relocated to New Orleans where he worked, with inconsistent success until 1826 when he was appointed Bishop of Montauban, France. During his service in New Orleans he had the distinction of presiding over prayers for victory in the Battle of New Orleans and welcoming Gen. Andrew Jackson to the Cathedral for the Thanksgiving Service.

Returning to France, DuBourg served as Bishop of Montauban from 1826-33, succeeding a former Bishop of Boston. In the last year of his life he served briefly as Archbishop of Bescacon in Franche-Comte until his death in 1833.

DuBourg is a representative of a generation of clerics who crossed the Atlantic as their need and opportunities shifted. Driven out of France by Revolution, they contributed to the growth of a new country and its religious tradition. In so doing, they obtained experience which matured their vocations so that, when France called them to rebuild the Church that had been ravaged by the Revolution which drove them into exile, they were ready.

DuBourg had the vision thing in spades, but his vision was often hampered by his lack of practicality. Fortunately he attracted men and women who could turn his dreams into reality. Although he regarded himself as a failure when he left New Orleans, DuBourg had succeeded in America more than he could have realized.

This book is long and detailed, but never boring. I read it to obtain an in depth understanding of DuBourg for a presentation which I am scheduled to make. This book is a bit extensive for the casual reader. For one with an interest in the early history of St. Louis or New Orleans, it is a must. For the student of the French Revolution and its people's response to it as well as the influence they had on the world, it is a valuable work. I enjoyed it. If you are as interested in the topics outlined above as I am, so will you.

While the decennial federal census is one of the first information sources the novice genealogist learns about, many researchers never go beyond the general population schedules, to the slave and agricultural schedules. In fact, a household that was missed in the general census (it happens to all of us) is quite likely to show up there. The agricultural schedule names only the head of each household, but also provides considerable other information that helps to place the family in context in the community. Actually, it consists of forty-eight columns, showing production of everything from bushels of tobacco and gallons of wine to pounds of beeswax and tons of "water rotted hemp." Green, who has previously abstracted the agricultural censuses of Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, and several other states, has limited herself to only six columns: Name of the owner, improved and unimproved acreage, cash value of the farm itself, value of farm implements and machinery, and value of livestock. These generally give a good indication of the prosperity of the establishment and, because these data are common all across the country (unlike cotton or flax production), the researcher may gain a good idea of wealth relative to other regions. The transcription follows the order in which names were recorded by the census enumerator within each parish, with a surname-only index in each volume. Original page numbers are not given, however. The parishes appear alphabetically, Ascension through Madison in Volume 1 and Morehouse through Winn in Volume 2 (which may also be purchased separately). If you find someone of interest here, of course, I recommend you make a date with a microfilm reader and examine the full listing!

Louisiana may well be the most exotic of the continental United States, mainly on the strength of the French Quarter in New Orleans and the Creole culture. I can remember being in New Orleans one November watching a political ad on the television where one candidate was pointing out his opponent was a convicted felon and I was wondering how on Earth a convicted felon could run for public office and then I remembered I was in Louisiana, home of the "Kingfish" and other rather unique politicians. Martin Hintz's look at "Louisiana" for the America the Beautiful, Second Series, covers these aspects of the Pelican state and more.

Chapter One, "Hello to Louisiana," describes the state as "old and new, raucous and reflective," and a place that has plenty of everything. The next three chapters detail the history of Louisiana, beginning with Chapter Two, "Louisiana Is Born." Here young readers find out about the Mound Builders who originally settled the South and then the arrival of the European explorers. This chapter also covers the Louisiana Purchase and how the territory eventually became the 18th state in 1812. Chapter Three, "Louisiana Faces Challenges," begins with the Battle of New Orleans, covers the Civil War, and ends with the aftermath of Reconstruction. Chapter Four, "History's Later Chapters," covers more than the 20th century, but the emphasis is on the unique politics of the state, where both Huey P. Long and David Duke were key figures.

The interesting geography of the state is covered by Hintz in Chapter Five, "Louisiana's Low-Lying Land." Much of the state was once covered by the Gulf of Mexico and what exists today is related to that history. Chapter Six, "Louisiana's Ethereal Cities," looks at the special flavors of each section of the state, from Cajun Country to the Big Easy. "Politics in the Pelican State" is covered in Chapter Seven, which explains the parish system and covers all of the state symbols, including both state songs ("You Are My Sunshine" and "Give Me Louisiana") and the state musical instrument (Diatonic accordion).

The economy of Louisiana is the subject of Chapter Eight, "Business is Business," where the Port of New Orleans features the world's longest continuous cargo complex but the state also produces lots of hot sauce, strawberries, and alligators (not that you would combine those for eating purposes: the recipe in the book is for red beans and rice). Chapter Nine, "Louisiana: A People Place," covers the diverse traditions in the state represented by the Creoles, Acadians, African-Americans, Germans and Swiss, Italians, Spanish and Hispanics, Asians, and Irish. Chapter Ten, "Culture Everywhere," is where Hintz gets to talk about Jazz and Blues music, Mardi Gras, "A Streetcar Named Desire," and the Superdome.

The back of the book includes a detailed Timeline contrasting U.S. and Louisiana state history and pages of Fast Facts. There is also a list of books, organizations, and Internet sites where young readers can go To Find Out More. The book is replete with full-color photographs and maps. My favorite parts have become the sidebars, where we get to find out about famous people, from "Beast" Butler to Rap Star Master P, places, like New Iberia and the Old State Capitol, and things, such as the Mississippi Steamboats and the state's salt domes. Young students will find a lot of information about each state in each volume of this series, and with over 50 states and territories, teachers can assign every student in their class a different state to research.

I bought this for my son so he could do his school report on the State of Louisiana. It's a perfect book for this. Nicely written, nice photographs, plenty of detail for the level he needed.

Dixieland Jazz, cajun, creole, Lake Ponchartrain, ancient mansions, all of these images come to mind when one thinks of Louisiana. But, as this little volume demonstrates, there's more than meets the eye.

The "Portrait of America" series is a wonderful introduction for pre-teens to the 50 states and to the places and events that shaped the history of the United States. This "Louisiana" installment is particularly good. The book is broken down into sections like "History", "Culture", "Economy" etc., and each section is thoughtfully written and edited. And this edition is loaded with several beautiful photographs. The "Culture" section is my personal favorite.

This book, as well as the entire "Portrait of America" series, will prove to be a valuable teaching tool to all primary school educators.