This coffee table book was originally published in 1980, and it describes many of the most important buildings and structures built in New Orleans from its humble founding in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, to the early years of the 20th century. The author provides a brief history of the original settlement of the Crescent City along the Mississippi River, along with its subsequent transfers of power from the French Mississippi Company to France in 1722, from France to Spain in 1763, from Spain back to France in 1795, and finally from France to the United States in 1803. These frequent exchanges, along with the slave trade through the Caribbean and the influx of Cajuns from Canada in the mid 18th century, provided New Orleans with its unique blend of people and their influences on the architecture, cuisine and music of New Orleans and south Louisiana.

All but a tiny handful of the buildings erected in New Orleans' first two centuries are no longer in existence, due to several factors. Most early buildings were made of local wood, which was quite flammable, and despite its location between a massive lake and a large river the residents of the city depended on volunteer firemen, who were more likely than not to be drunken and incompetent. The often rickety and water logged buildings provided little resistance to the extreme winds and severe flooding from the Gulf Coast's frequent hurricanes and tropical storms. Finally, the flimsy brick used in construction of these early buildings would frequently erode due to the effects of humidity and moss formation, causing these structures to slowly crumble. In later years property owners and the city's fathers tore down several grand buildings, while fires destroyed many of the others, including the French Opera House and the St. Charles Hotel.

Lost New Orleans is nicely organized into sections on Transportation and Commerce; Residences; Hotels; Schools, Libraries and Places of Worship; and Places of Entertainment. It also contains dozens of superb black & white photographs, paintings and drawings of the buildings described in the text.

I found this book to be an interesting read, albeit dry in spots. This is definitely recommended for anyone interested in the early history and development of New Orleans, although the buildings depicted here will be unrecognizable to anyone familiar with the modern Crescent City. ( )