Fiction

In these classic, fascinating, and often terrifying tales--Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, the Zulu King, Loup Garou, and the headless horseman of Natchitoches--all share the stage. Ghost stories from around Louisiana mingle with the true horrors of figures such as the infamous "New Orleans Axeman." Learn stories of the Creoles and Cajuns, Southern church traditions, Voodoo rituals, hexes, and charms. Gumbo Ya-Ya, "everybody talks at once," expresses the tension between refinement and profanity, the sacred and the sensual--which defines Louisiana culture to this day. This 70th Anniversary Pelican Publishing unabridged edition's contents are wholly true to the 1945 original edition. First commissioned as a project of the Works Progress Administration Louisiana Writers' Program, it has stood the test of time and is a book beloved by historians, locals, and visitors.

From a judge who must decide which parent will get custody of a young boy at Christmas in �The Christmas Visitation,� to a little girl who only wants a crayon lipstick as her gift in the title story, Mr. Toner�s ten short stories depict times when love rises above life�s obstacles to give new meaning to Christmas.

Set in the year 1779, The Leveller gathers the historical facts of the life and times of the main character, Tom Cook, and weaves them into a tantalizing fictional story of his daring escapades in colonial New England. Legend has it that Tom's mother had sold his soul to the Devil in return for his recovery from a childhood fever. His neighbors thought he was bewitched and Tom became a loner, stealing from the wealthy and giving to the poor--leveling fortunes, so to speak.This historical novel, written for the middle grade reader, was first published in 1984 and has been out of print for many years.Drawing from journals and legends of early New England, the author has fashioned a tale of the notorious Tom Cook...Although he was openly feared and treated as an outcast, he was secretly loved by many as The Leveller, a contemporary Robin Hood. Tom's cleverness in outwitting the wealthy eventually pays off, as he manages to outwit the Devil and regain his soul.-American Bookseller