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New paperback edition from Pelican Publishing!

"Robert Tallant speaks with authority . . ."

—New York Times

"Straightforward handling of sensational

times and tricksters, of the cult of voodooism in all its manifestations. From its first known appearances in New Orleans of 200 years ago, here are the . . . rites and dances, the cures, charms and gris-gris. Here were the witchdoctors and queens, and in particular Doctor John . . . and Marie Laveau.”

—Kirkus Reviews

"Much nonsense has been written about voodoo in New Orleans. . . . Here is a truthful and definitive picture."

—Lyle Saxon

The word “voodoo” elicits reactions from fear to fascination; thoughts of pins stuck in dolls, hexes, and strange rites immediately come to mind. But few people know the true origin of voodooism or anything about its practice in America, particularly New Orleans. This examination of voodoo rites and beliefs is sure to fascinate every reader.

Originally published in 1946, this intriguing book examines the rites and beliefs associated with voodoo through the legends of the art—its charms, trances, rituals, and difficult-to-explain occurrences.

Robert Tallant was one of Louisiana’s best-known authors. Born in New Orleans in 1909, he attended the city’s local public schools. Before “drifting” into writing, Tallant worked as an advertising copywriter, a bank teller, and a clerk. It was his friendship with Lyle Saxon that led Tallant to his position as editor on the Louisiana WPA Writers’ Project during the 1930s and 1940s. In that position, he coauthored Gumbo Ya-Ya: Folk Tales of Louisiana with Lyle Saxon and Edward Dreyer.

By 1948, Tallant’s career had launched, and over the next eleven years he produced eight novels, six full-length works of nonfiction, and numerous short stories and articles on subjects of local interest. He is also known to have corresponded with, as well as applied to, the Julius Rosenwald Fund for a fellowship in creative writing. During the last years of his life, he was a lecturer in English at Newcomb College as well as a reporter for the New Orleans Item. Robert Tallant died in 1957.

A Louisiana twist on the classic Gingerbread Man story!

On a whim, an old Cajun couple named Marcelle and Dumas use their famous boudin recipe to make a boy. After they batter up the mixture and fry it up like a boudin ball, the boy magically comes to life and is taught all about swamp life. Follow Boudin Boy on his wild adventures throughout Louisiana and beyond in this Cajun spin on the Gingerbread Man.

Join Huey the river rat on a Louisiana adventure of bridges, levees, and landmarks

Huey and his family of river rats live along the batture of the Mississippi River near New Orleans. He dreams of riding the bridge train atop the Huey P. Long bridge and exploring the world beyond his family’s home on the levee. Follow along on an adventure that weaves through some of Louisiana’s most fascinating characters and famous landmarks. 

Author Ryan Starrett examines nine lives who played critical roles at the Battle of New Orleans. Andrew Jackson. Edward Pakenham. Jean Laffite. Reuben Kemper. George Robert Gleig. Edward Nicolls. Arsène Lacarrière-Latour. Daniel Todd Patterson. Peter Ellis Bean. Nine men from nine different worlds traveled nine roads, all of which ended at Chalmette Battlefield, seven miles outside New Orleans. The fate of nine lives—and of a nation—would be settled over a sixteen-day period. The intricately interwoven tapestry of their stories relates the principal events of their time, from the American and Mexican Revolutions to Napoleon to the battle for the Gulf Coast, culminating in the epochal Battle of New Orleans.