Anne Rice, New York Times Book Review
"Southern Comfort is a multifaceted study of the Garden District from its inception in the early 1800s until the end of the 19th century....The book is a valuable contribution to Southern history and to the history of both American architecture and American cities.... Southern Comfort is a landmark piece of scholarship on the area."
Antiques Journal
Author of the respected history, New Orleans Unmasked, S. Frederick Starr is a well-known authority on the history and culture of New Orleans. Southern Comfort: The Garden District of New Orleans is equally well-known for the popularity and critical acclaim of its first edition quickly sold out-a testament to the book's scholarship and the enduring popularity of and interests in the historic Garden District of New Orleans.
As much a cultural history as it is an architectural one, Southern Comfort tells much of its story through the histories of the architects, homeowners, developers, and laborers who shaped this extraordinary neighborhood. Author and historian Starr brings readers back not only to the historical origins of the city but also into the home themselves. Chapters discuss such founding magnates as James Robb, the lives of the most significantly influential city planners and architects, and the way of life in an antebellum society for both the wealthy master and mistress as well as slave, servant, and retainer.
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