Product Description

The lush, seductive, Old World elegance of New Orleans is gloriously revealed in this photographic tribute to the "Venice of North America." Richard Sexton's photographs capture balcony-lined streets, French-style parks, Caribbean-inspired gardens, and ornate public buildings, and take us inside some of the city's most intriguing private homes. This new edition marks the tenth anniversary with a new cover and binding, and a fully revised afterword. "Rarely," wrote The New Orleans Times-Picayune, "has the city been loved both so wisely and so well." A tribute to a lifestyle of insouciance and exuberance, touched by both spirituality and worldliness, New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence illuminates both the public face and the private soul of a perennially fascinating city. More than 200 full-color photographs and an insightful text capture the stories and characters of yore.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180936 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Library Journal
This is a beautiful introduction to the multicultural art and architecture of the "Crescent City," the cognomen given to the city nestled along a tight bend of the Mississippi River. In this introductory history, the reader is familiarized with many new terms reflecting the multiethnic complexity of the local population. The combination of African, French, and Anglo-American immigrants formed a unique Creole culture that has produced its own music, cuisine, art, and architecture, displayed superbly in a vast variety of photographs. We are taken through interiors and enclaves, stopping in the homes and studios of several contemporary artists. The influence of French Impressionism is juxtaposed with modern New Orleans funk art, and we are struck by Catholic religious art permeating the cultural revelry of the city's famous parades. This book will entice anyone to visit New Orleans and will serve as pleasant reflection for those who have.
- Bruce Alan Hanson, Wayzata East J . H.S. Lib., Minn.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap
Fodor's Compass New Orleans 4ed.Created by local writers and photographers, Compass American Guides are the ultimate insider's guides, providing in-depth coverage of the history, culture, and character of America's most spectacular destinations. Covering everything there is to see and do as well as choice lodging and dining, these gorgeous full-color guides are perfect for new and longtime residents as well as vacationers who want a deep understanding of the region they're visiting.

Outstanding color photography, plus a wealth of archival imagesTopical essays and literary extractsDetailed color mapsGreat ideas for things to see and doCapsule reviews of hotels and restaurants

About the Author
Randolph Delehanty has written over a dozen books including San Francisco Victorians (0-8118-2771-2) and Randolph Delehanty's Ultimate Guide to New Orleans (0-8118-0870-X), which explores the Big Easy with a dozen walking tours. He lives in San Francisco. Richard Sexton is a New Orleans-based photographer, writer, and lecturer. He also teaches photography at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Accents, Garden Design, and Smithsonian. His many books include Vestiges of Grandeur (0-8118-1817-9) and Gardens of New Orleans (0-8118-2421-7).

Customer Reviews

A Delight for the Senses
As a frequent visitor and sometimes resident of NOLA, I had never found a book that truly captured the local heart of the city and its people...until I received this book. It is a feast for the eyes with its glorious photos. Similarly, its writing--done by a New Orleanian--is refreshing and honest. Everyone I know in New Orleans owns a copy of this book. I love it. I revisit it freqently. It never bores me.

An Elegant New Orleans Edition...just as the title suggests!
I first came across this book in the french market area near the river while I was visiting New Orleans for the second time. Slightly overpriced for the tourists, I decided to wait until I arrived home to find it cheaper at a local bookstore. It's a beautiful hardbound book with a cloth-covered spine that now sits in an easel at the top of my bookshelf. I have enjoyed it tremendously. Tons of history, and even more fabulous pictures. For any lover of "the big easy." Treat yourself to this book, and don't forget to take a look at part 1, Vestiges of Grandeur. The two make excellent coffee table books for anyone, and all of your guests will certainly spend hours thumbing through them.

If New Orleans could be captured in a book, this is it.
Just returned from my fifth trip to the Crescent City and miss it already. I flipped through this book at a shop there and knew I would buy it as soon as I got home. In photographs and words, this is an evocation of New Orleans by two people who obviously love the place. Go with it and you'll be transported! New Orleans isn't perfect, but it is fascinating, unique, and exotic, which this book appreciates and shows off.