Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival Hardcover - 2013

From the rear cover

In a city with its origins in Europe's Catholic nations, queens and fools, gods and demons reign from Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday. New Orleans is transformed into a surreal world during Carnival season. The past and present parade side by side down boulevards and through side streets.

Take a tour with a Carnival historian who has studied Mardi Gras from New Orleans to around the globe. The elaborate and eventful stories of royal institutions, superkrewes, and neighborhood groups are narrated here. Featured are personal stories of the larger-than-life individuals who made Carnival what it is today.
Fascinating and intimate, this riotous exploration is a rare glimpse into the history of all-but-forgotten traditions and modern customs. Food, floats, and families are featured in this colorfully photographed volume. Historical pictures, anecdotes, recipes, characters, and flavor fill every page. Kings and balls, societies and myths are all evocatively examined.
Today's revelries and bygone times are engagingly presented in this homage to the joie de vivre of the Carnival season. This rich, vibrant book is a necessary addition to every Mardi Gras lover's collection.

From the jacket flap

In a city with its origins in Europe's Catholic nations, queens and fools, gods and demons reign from Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday. New Orleans is transformed into a surreal world during Carnival season. The past and present parade side by side down boulevards and through side streets.

Take a tour with a Carnival historian who has studied Mardi Gras from New Orleans to around the globe. The elaborate and eventful stories of royal institutions, superkrewes, and neighborhood groups are narrated here. Featured are personal stories of the larger-than-life individuals who made Carnival what it is today.
Fascinating and intimate, this riotous exploration is a rare glimpse into the history of all-but-forgotten traditions and modern customs. Food, floats, and families are featured in this colorfully photographed volume. Historical pictures, anecdotes, recipes, characters, and flavor fill every page. Kings and balls, societies and myths are all evocatively examined.
Today's revelries and bygone times are engagingly presented in this homage to the joie de vivre of the Carnival season. This rich, vibrant book is a necessary addition to every Mardi Gras lover's collection.