The whole Compass American Guides series is excellent, but I've always been especially fond of this volume. It's a travel guide, but a readable one. Everything is presented in an engaging way that introduces the reader to the feel of New Orleans as much as to its attractions. Ms. Bultman works in quite a bit of history, and the little exerpts from books about New Orleans added a nice touch.

As good as the information is, the photography is my favourite thing about this book. It's packed full of tons of great photographs of all the places Bultman mentions. I'll often take this book down just to flip through it and admire the pictures. Almost everything is in colour, too; an added bonus.

The information in my copy is probably outdated by now, but I know it's gone through at least a couple more editions over the past ten years. Those should provide more current information on restaurants and the like, though I imagine the historical stuff is still much the same. ( )