The Connoisseur's New Orleans

Graham Adams, Jr., is a professor of American history at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

This engaging introduction to New Orleans goes considerably beyond the
usual tourist guides.

Music, food, decorative arts, and a distinctive lifestyle have shaped
the character of New Orleans. European, Caribbean, African, and Creole
communities all helped to cultivate the unique American contribution of
jazz music. Creole and Cajun cultures gave birth to a succulent cuisine
featuring jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish, and turtle soup dishes, as well as
12-inch “po’boy” sandwiches. French Quarter architecture abounds
in balconies, wrought- and cast-iron facades, and inner courtyards
replete with fountains and foliage. A relaxed, tolerant lifestyle that
encourages dining out, jazz, and spectacular carnivals and festivals has
earned New Orleans the sobriquet “The Big Easy.”

France founded New Orleans in 1718, ceded it to Spain in 1763, regained
it in 1800, and sold it to the United States in 1803 as part of the
Louisiana Purchase. The city’s Creole population, descendants of the
original French and Spanish settlers, was enhanced by the arrival of the
Acadians in 1755 and 1758 after their expulsion from Nova Scotia. New
Orleans enjoyed its golden age between 1825 and the start of the
American Civil War in 1860, by which time it had emerged as the
second-largest port in the United States. The postwar reconstruction
proved chaotic and corrupt; the port was not to regain its previous
economic status until 1945. Today, the city maintains its prosperity
through a combination of tourism and emerging industries.

Readers looking for a first-class introduction to a unique city will
find it in this well-written and knowledgeable book.