"Interesting investigation and 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 fetishes and formulae, the rites and dances, the cures, charms and gris-gris. Here were the witch-doctors and queens, and in particular Doctor John, who acquired fame and fortune, and Marie Laveau, who with her daughter dominated the weird underworld of voodoo for nearly a century." Kirkus Reviews "Robert Tallant speaks with authority . . . ." New York Times "Much nonsense has been written about voodoo in New Orleans. . .here is a truthful and definitive picture." Lyle Saxton Both of Robert Tallant's highly praised books about the practice of voodoo in New Orleans have been re-issued in paperback. Originally published in 1946, Voodoo in New Orleans examines the origins of the cult voodooism. The lives of New Orleans's most infamous witch doctors and voodoo queens have been re-created in this well-researched account of New Orleans's dark underworld.
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About the Author
ROBERT TALLANT (1909-1957) was one of Louisiana's best-known authors and a participant in the WPA Writers' Project during the 1930s and 1940s. During the last years of his life, he was a lecturer in English at Newcomb College.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Ryuutchi
Format:Paperback
If you are looking for an in-depth, scholarly work on the religion and practices of Voodoo in New Orleans this is, sadly, not the work for you. While interesting in a voyeuristic, sensationalist sense, Tallant's far-too-obvious biases and penchant for letting his interview subjects give sound bites like "Old Marie Laveau looked just like the devil herself, and she's settin' [sic] on a throne in Hell today," means that the image of Voodoo as a religion and/or money-making practice is frustratingly one-dimensional. Tallant seems content to let his interview subjects discuss the "devil-worshipping" without giving a well-rounded picture of what actually was being worshipped. He quotes newspaper articles with an almost pornagraphic fervor, and neglects to analyze the exoticism encoded into their language.
The book is good as a fun, tabloidesque read, and those people who have studied Voodoo religion will be able to puzzle together rites and loa blithely corrupted due to Tallant's distance from actual services. It is also a fine study in biases of the time, but should never be read without a very LARGE grain of salt.
The book is good as a fun, tabloidesque read, and those people who have studied Voodoo religion will be able to puzzle together rites and loa blithely corrupted due to Tallant's distance from actual services. It is also a fine study in biases of the time, but should never be read without a very LARGE grain of salt.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Any book you see on Voodoo today, is either talking about Santeria or Haitian Voodou. Even the "New Orleans Voodoo Tarot" is mostly Voodoo from OUTSIDE of New Orleans. Here you will find the most mature research on Marie Laveau, which is worth the modest price of this book, alone. But you also get history that you will not find anywhere else. Tales of an entire lineage of conjure men and root doctors, the real heart of Louisiana Hoodoo. This book introduces you to men like Doctor Koku, Rooster, Papa Melon, Don Pedro and many others. If you want to see both sides of the New Orleans Voodoo coin, this is the only book that pulls back all the curtains of it's history.
34 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really don't understand the negative reviews of this book at all. Even Anne Rice recommends it and what better recommendation about voodoo history in New Orleans can you get than Anne Rice!?! Yes, the story is old, but it's a fantastic look of the smaller details of a hidden culture. I love New Orleans, and Tallant's book is well researched. Why do you think it's been reprinted since the 1940s. That's staying power, people. The history of Marie Lavaeu is worth the money. This is not a book to tell you how to practice voodoo or to give you a romanticized version of the religion. This is a book which tells the evolution of a special society within a very special city. Now excuse me while I go fetch another praline! Buy it. It's a great read. [From a person who knows and loves New Orleans and hoodoo too!]
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
NOLA NEWS
Other books on NOLA held my interest longer than this book. It could have been that I was NOLA-saturated by the time I read the book.
Published 1 month ago by Happy Camper
5.0 out of 5 stars
she put a spell on you
great short stories on the history of New Orleans VooDoo, complete with the Witch Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau.
Published 2 months ago by Crusader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic work on Voodoo Folklore
Tallant is the go-to author for the real inside story, told in the words of participant-observers, of Voudun or Voodoo, as it was and is really practiced in New Orleans. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bebo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great historical POV
I've come to rely on historical references that were written long before the contemporary Political Correctness took hold of the American mindset. Read more
Published 7 months ago by C S Willson
1.0 out of 5 stars
Tallant's "creative" talent
Voodoo in New Orleans
This is an old classic which, if you are interested in either "Voodoo" or New Orleans, you probably should read. Read more
This is an old classic which, if you are interested in either "Voodoo" or New Orleans, you probably should read. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Dr. Eoghan C. Ballard
2.0 out of 5 stars
Folklore, but not actual Voodoo in NOLA
I've done anthropological work on Voodoo practices in New Orleans, both the newer Haitian forms and the traditional religion of the faithful. Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Crocker
3.0 out of 5 stars
Voodoo in New Orleans
Book is a little interesting. It is sometimes confusing to read. Uses words that no longer used in 2011 so sometimes you will have no clue what you are reading. Read more
Published 22 months ago by DiamondluvsBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars
First person accounts of VooDoo from late 19th, early 20th century
I should preface by saying that I do not know much about VooDoo. However, from what I have gleaned so far, this book is unusual in that it gives first-person accounts of VooDoo... Read more
Published on December 12, 2010 by D. Riverblue Cloudwalker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Interesting!
I couldn't put this book down. It was originally published in the late 40's early 50's and the writing reflects this but it is so interesting. Read more
Published on October 8, 2010 by Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brazen
Regardless of what anyone feels about this book , it is a time stamp in Hoodoo history. The man needs credit for attending Hoodoo meetings and facing up to the Queen's of the time... Read more
Published on June 12, 2010 by N. Devine
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