Explore Pelican Publishing (September 2024)

In these classic, fascinating, and often terrifying tales--Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, the Zulu King, Loup Garou, and the headless horseman of Natchitoches--all share the stage. Ghost stories from around Louisiana mingle with the true horrors of figures such as the infamous "New Orleans Axeman." Learn stories of the Creoles and Cajuns, Southern church traditions, Voodoo rituals, hexes, and charms. Gumbo Ya-Ya, "everybody talks at once," expresses the tension between refinement and profanity, the sacred and the sensual--which defines Louisiana culture to this day. This 70th Anniversary Pelican Publishing unabridged edition's contents are wholly true to the 1945 original edition. First commissioned as a project of the Works Progress Administration Louisiana Writers' Program, it has stood the test of time and is a book beloved by historians, locals, and visitors.