Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans

by Joan B. Garvey, Mary Lou Widmer

Coud New Orleans have withstood the wrath of Katrina? Read about it on page 208 A-B (just added). Beautiful Crescent is a good short basic history of New Orleans--and more. It's a foundation, a springboard, and appetizer--just enough factual political history, just enough "people" history to tantalize and whet the appetite. The wonderful lists of govenors, mayors, noted personalities, and chronology make this fun and interesting for everyone who loves New Orleans and her colorful history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Travel

249 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1983

Reviews

[Kirsten]

This is a popular book that's sadly outdated, both in its outlook and in its general grasp of facts. Not only does it underplay or misrepresent some of the uglier aspects of the city's racial history and corruption, as other reviewers have noted, it denies that there was any Spanish influence on the city and the region. A stack of historical works, most recently Ned Sublette's 'The World the Made New Orleans' and Kathleen DuVal's 'Independence Lost,' say otherwise. And there's nothing on the longstanding ties between Latin America (especially Central America and Cuba) that followed, much less any information on the city's recent influx of Latinos. There are much better NOLA books to read.

[Scott Pomfret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that doesn't quite know what it wants to be: there are notes in it as if it is academic, but it's not a particular rigorous read nor does it take any point of view. It begins as a historical and chronological narrative but shifts gears midstream and turns to a topical approach that quickly leaps centuries and back again. Toward the end, it becomes a tourist guide book (There's a brief chapter called "Directions in New Orleans") and then a compilation of lists ("noted personalities" and "statues and monuments" and "hurricanes") that are of dubious use or interest and without context. In addition, there are some cringeworthy passages in which Widmer appears to suggest the lives of the slaves or New Orleans were ok because they were allowed to gather in dances, and they were fed, and they could hire themselves out for pay. On a basis relative to the rest of the South, that may well be true, but Widmer's patronizing tone made it sound as if the slaves were not only lucky but happy-go-lucky in their bondage. In addition, Widmer makes a half-hearted attempt to rescue the reputation of General Butler, the Civil War occupier, but her argument is not particularly persuasive and has been made better by others.

That said, Beautiful Cresent is not without virtue. Widmer unearths some wonderful historical tidbits (the famous whore called "La Sans Regret") and her writing is breezy and workmanlike, if not particularly poetic. Notwithstanding its pretensions to academic scholarship, this is a fair high-level overview, at least until it devolves into tour guide and book of lists.

[Andy Reynolds · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to read this for the New Orleans tour guide test. It's put together in a strange way, slightly out of order, and it's very outdated as far as being racist against several races and at least slightly historically inaccurate, which makes me doubt the validity of everything I read in the book. Hopefully one day the city of New Orleans will pick one of the many great history books about the city to base their tour guide test on instead of this one.

[Ariadne Blayde · Rating 1 out of 5]

Racist af

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter held great interest for me, but the writing lacked quality.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not the fault of the authors that this book is no longer up to date. However, I found the organization and layout confusing and clunky. The mix of geography, economics and traditional cultural/political history is to be commended. The rich photos throughout are also useful.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

New Orleans is a fascinating city with a rich and complex history. This book gives a basic overview of it, but is unfortunately, not written in a very engaging style. It reads almost like an extended high school history project, trying to touch on as many details as possible, without really getting into any.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besides the history before the Prohibition Era, this is a very simple version of the history of New Orleans. Knowing that Ray Nagin was put on a peddlestool in this book makes me laugh. He is currently serving 10+ years in jail but got out early because of Covid-19. The Superdome during Katrina was no safe haven for those individuals. It was pure chaos in the building.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fine if you want a general overview of the history and a few of the highlights of this wonderful city that I love and have visited many times. I read the 9th edition, which was published in 1998, so I don't know what the author has had to say about Hurricane Katrina. The book suffers from a bit of Chamber of Commerce Syndrome, by which I mean a tendency to paper over some of the more troubling aspects of the city's past, especially when it comes to race relations, and a tendency to oversell its virtues. One major event that doesn't receive a mention in this book is the fabulous Jazz and Heritage Festival (aka JazzFest) that draws international crowds and world-class talent every spring. The best book on New Orleans that I have read is Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum, which was recommended to me by the owner of Octavia Books on a visit several years ago. In the introduction of that extraordinary book the author enjoins us to "stop thinking of New Orleans as the worst run city in the United States, and start thinking of it as the best run city in the Caribbean." That still makes me chuckle, but it is also sage advice for those who have not yet experienced The Big Easy. To conclude on a note of applause for Beautiful Crescent, during the late 80s and early 90s, when I was a graduate student in Atlanta, I had the pleasure on several occasions of going to see an amazingly high-energy trio of manic musicians from New Orleans that called themselves Dash Rip Rock (a name taken from an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies), and I was delighted to see them get a favorable mention in the concluding pages of the book alongside other New Orleans musical luminaries such as Dr. John, Wynton Marsalis, Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, and of course, Louis Armstrong.

[Bobby Mih · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shockingly racist and xenophobic. The most poorly-written book I've ever read in my entire life. Factually and historically inaccurate (I don't know whether the authors didn't know the basics of history, or purposely lied). Disorganized. Grammatically incorrect. Numerous typos. Illogical, with menu circularly-contradictory statements that give you a headache when you're trying to decipher them, such as: a few houses in New Orleans have basements, which the locals use as cellars, which are not present in New Orleans, because of the high water table.

[Andrea Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I travel I try and pick up a book about the area. This one was recommended to me as it is used in the city’s tour guide exam.
It is a good overview, but maybe not written in the most engaging way. The timeline jumps around, and each topic is covered in a few paragraphs with a heading, which wreaks the overall flow. I learned quite a bit and did enjoy it, but I think there are better written selections out there.

[Jason Bourg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much reads like a textbook but does give a great foundation of the dynamic settlement and shifting ownership of New Orleans and some of the gulf coast region. Some great historic nuggets on canals and neighborhoods and history on various cultural aspects. Seems to hurry towards the finish and very light on anything post early 1900s. A must for any resident to empathize with just how difficult it was to establish a city in that locations.

[Black Spring · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was written by two fairly racist old white ladies. Racist in that casual, western civilized way, not in a hardcore, flaming-sword-waving way. Still, hard to read. Ridiculously facile and racist summaries of the temperaments and inclinations of black folks or indigenous folks. Pass.

If I were feeling more generous I would probably give this 2 stars since I see value in it as an overview of the history of the city of New Orleans. It definitely took a fair bit of work to put this together and I will occasionally use it as a quick reference. But I will definitely be checking it against other sources as I don't trust the accuracy of some of these passages.

There are far better histories of the city. "The Accidental City" and "The World that Made New Orleans," both of which cover primarily the first century of the city, are far and away better than this.

[Steven Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most easy book to read but it is filled with lots of great historical facts. Read this for the New Orleans tour guide licensure. Maybe one day my book will replace this one.

[Wendy Strout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book that covered a lot of the history of NOLA.

[Brittany Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Want another history book that glosses over racism and hasn't taken the time to properly address it with every new addition? This is the perfect book for you!

[Stephen Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest book about Crescent City: New Orleans, aka "Big Easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic and text bookish. It has aged not so well, despite being the handbook for every single tour guide perambulating the neighborhood I reside in: the French Quarter.

[journalingdan (Daniela) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dry and no-frills covering the history of new Orleans up until the 20th century-ish. Not much about New Orleans in the 20th century and beyond.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent history of New Orleans, though not quite what I was looking for. I didn't like the way the time line jumped back and forth within a few years, which made it hard to follow. Some things were hinted at, others gone over in detail. I feel the book could have benefited from a smoother time line and more detail over all. The last section which went over nearly every mayor's administration was tedious.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garvey and Widmer were retired school teachers and amateur genealogists and historians, with deep roots in the city they love. This book packs lots and lots of information and some good stories into 250pp. They write in a simple, accessible style that make this readable for just about anyone.

The authors are unabashed fans of New Orleans who continually gush about their city. They do not seem to hide the seedier elements of their city, but they do tend to excuse or rationalize them. For example, the 'reform' mayor of the 1880s (Shakespear) set up a system of bribe taking from illegal gambling establishment in exchange for police protection -- but he only did this, they report, because the prudish state of Louisiana unjustly kept gambling illegal. And besides, Shakespear, originally at least, used the funds to set up alms houses. Sure!

Similar explanations are given for the racial injustice of the city, its hedonism, etc.

I don't know enough about New Orleans history to make any informed evaluation of their historical judgments. But it seems obvious that the authors know their topic.

The packaging, at least in my 2002 printed edition, is unimaginative and basic, but solid.

Overall, I'd recommend this highly as a nice overview, a tour guide, and a primer for NOLA history

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been in love with New Orleans since I first spent a day in the French Quarter when I was not yet 20 years old. New Orleans is a city that gets inside you. Read this book and you'll start to understand why.

Beautiful Crescent is an easily read history of this amazing city. I definitely recommend reading it to gain a good familiarity how and why New Orleans is the way it is. In truth, it gives you just a taste of why New Orleans is a place that steals your heart.

I can't speak personally to its accuracies or lack thereof, as others have, but I enjoyed it and am basing it on that.

[Denise]

a great (possibly unknown) little history book of our below-sea-level city

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the city's history. I am looking forward to the new edition coming out this fall.

[Sean Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dry text-book approach to the city's history. New Orleans facts are accurate but major events of the era outside of New Orleans are sometimes misstated.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, interesting history. Read in preparation for a New Orleans trip.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? An excellent history of NO and an easy read.

[Roderick Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting about the beginnings of the City, but muddled for the latter part of its history.