Wildsam Field Guides: New Orleans: 2nd Edition

by Taylor Bruce (Editor), Scott Campbell (Illustrator)

Wildsam Field New Orleans leads travelers into the most authentic experience of the one-of-a-kind Louisiana city, working closely with an eclectic team of trusted locals. Contributors include journalists, chefs, jazz musicians, shop owners, historic preservationists, fishermen, politicians and artisans, among others. Topics in the handsome volume include jazz funerals, architecture, Creole cooking, neighborhood bars, cemeteries, cocktails, floods, ghosts and more.

144 pages, Paperback

Published August 9, 2021

Reviews

[Lauren Quebedeaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

When wanderlust becomes overpowering, I will forever turn to the Wildsam Field Guides to lead me to my next destination.

More than a conventional tour guide, this small volume goes beyond the usual arts, food, maps and really dives into the cultural landscape of a place.

For New Orleans, this book captured diverse stories including:
➡️ Vietnamese immigrants shucking oysters
➡️ Letters from Louis Armstrong and Tennessee Williams
➡️ Krewes of Black Masking Tribes and the Mardi Gras
➡️ Birthing at the pinnacle of Hurricane Katrina
➡️ Lists of local flora, street pronunciations, and jazz legends
➡️ Recipes for the most locale specific drink (it was delicious!)
➡️ Ruby Bridges and the painful history of segregation
➡️ And so much more

Don't travel to NOLA without this one!

[Lisa Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of a new series of travel books that is actually part travel log, part history of New Orleans. Though it contains listing of some hotels and restaurants, the book also includes a reprint of a letter that Louis Armstrong wrote to a friend in the city, as well as histories of masking Mardi Gras Indians and essays about New Orleans (I particularly recommend Katy Reckdahl's account of giving birth in the middle of Hurricane Katrina). All in all, it's an interesting tour guide, as well as a treat for the casual reader who may be interested in learning more about the soul of New Orleans.