Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children

The history of New Orleans is a street-level story, with names like Iberville, Terpsichore, Gravier, Tchopitoulas, and of course, Bourbon, presenting the city's past with every step. The late John Churchill Chase eloquently chronicles the origins and development of the most fascinating of American cities in this humorous masterpiece. This book details the interesting stories of the developers and families, as well as the infamous and famous people, places, and events from which the city's names and character are drawn. First published by now-defunct New Orleans publisher Robert L. Crager in 1949, the book remains funny and informative, generally accepted as a standard reference about the Crescent City.

New Orleans born and educated, John Churchill Chase studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts before returning to his city of birth, it being better suited for "living purposes." He lived on Music Street, not named, he used to say, because his children used to take lessons and practice on the piano every day. During his life, Chase was the number one authority on the streets' histories, in fact, on much of New Orleans history. He was frequently contacted by the city before a street name was changed, though many were changed anyway.

Have you ever wondered where the fascinating and often difficult-to-pronounce street names of New Orleans come from? This classic, humorous reference on the nomenclature of the city's roadways explains the history of such street names as Tchoupitoulas, Marigny, Poets, Decatur, and more. Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children reveals the intriguing tales of the developers, families, notorious and famous people, places, and events from which these names were created, sharing the street-level history of this one-of-a-kind American city.

"John Chase has taken what in lesser hands would have been a dull recounting of fact and made a delightfully accurate yet breezy book." -New Orleans Times-Picayune "History in its most painless form . . . lightened not only by cartoons but by narrative approach." -New York Herald Tribune The history of New Orleans is a street-level story, with names like Iberville, Terpsichore, Gravier, Tchoupitoulas, and, of course, Bourbon, presenting the city's past with every step. The late John Churchill Chase eloquently chronicles the origins and development of the most fascinating of American cities in this humorous read. Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children details the interesting stories of the developers and families as well as the infamous and famous people, places, and events from which the city's names and character are drawn. First published by now-defunct New Orleans publisher Robert L. Crager in 1949, the book remains funny and informative, generally accepted as a standard reference about the Crescent City.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.