Voodoo in New Orleans [Paperback]

Robert Tallant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1984

"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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (March 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088289336X
• ISBN-13: 978-0882893365
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Magic
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Occultism
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > United States > State & Local

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only book of it's kind., May 12, 2001

By 

M. Stone "Frater Iustitia Omnibus" (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voodoo in New Orleans (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.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sensational, not scholarly, January 19, 2005

By 

Ryuutchi (SF, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voodoo in New Orleans (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.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside the world of New Orleans!, July 30, 2001

By 

Melinda Harrison "Fables and Fairy Tales" (Mississippi) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voodoo in New Orleans (Paperback)

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!]