The French Quarter of New Orleans

There is no place in America like New Orleans's famed French Quarter.

With photographs and history, The French Quarter of New Orleans explores the unique evolution of this district. The author and photographer team to reveal how war, fire, floods, politics, cultural conflict, and architectural innovation shaped the Quarter.

In West Freeman's 160 color photographs the present-day romance of the Vieux Carré is here to savor. But The French Quarter of New Orleans moves beyond the Old World façades and into the heart and history of the many peoples-Spanish, French, Creole, Native American, African American, and Italians-who have lived here.

From humble, wooden French cottages to stately, brick Spanish Colonial mansions, from Madame John's Legacy to the St. Louis Cathedral, the Quarter's architecture enthralls, and Jim Fraiser's text creates an anecdotal walking tour of memorable and storied sites.

Studying buildings, Fraiser points out the struggle between native Creoles and newcomers in the replacement of Creole townhouses and cottages with "shotgun houses" and American Greek Revival homes. Freeman's photographs and Fraiser's text detail the historical significance and architectural styles of over one hundred structures.

The history of the Quarter teems with vagabonds and saints, warriors and playwrights, musicians, and politicians. Fraiser animates the fascinating story with such evocative figures as the pirate Jean Lafitte, the conquering general Andrew Jackson, and the voodoo queen Marie Laveau. Riverboat gamblers, ladies of the night, duelists, opera aficionados, plague victims, jazz musicians, charlatans, and Mardi Gras revelers populate the streets and edifices Fraiser describes.

For those who have visited the Quarter, this book will be a treasured memento of the district's unparalleled romance and flavor.

Jim Fraiser is the author of Mississippi River Country Tales (2001) and, with West Freeman, The Majesty of the Mississippi Delta (2002). He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

West Freeman is a native of New Orleans. His photographic work has been featured in Architectural Digest and is in the permanent collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Photographs and narrative that revive the charming spirit of old New Orleans

Publishers Weekly

New Orleans's most famous district has been shaped by war, fires, floods, politics, cultural conflict and architectural innovation. This slick, educational volume shows those influences, via Fraiser's learned text and Freeman's vivid photographs. Eschewing stereotypical images of drunken revelers and shiny beaded necklaces for straightforward photographs of townhouse entranceways and wrought-iron balconies, this work concentrates on the Quarter's buildings. The chapter on La Nouvelle-Orleans offers a portrait of a 1772 blacksmith shop with an abat-vent (roof overhang), while the section on La Nueva Orleans explains how Spanish and French cultures impacted the neighborhood's architecture. The authors include well-known locales, as well, including Preservation Hall and the Court of the Two Sisters. Fraiser (Mississippi River Country Tales) and Freeman, a New Orleans native whose work is part of the New Orleans Museum of Art's permanent collection, have assembled an intelligent, enlightening look at one of America's most charming areas. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.