This is the story of a city that shouldn't exist. In the seventeenth century, what is now America's most beguiling metropolis was nothing more than a swamp: prone to flooding, infested with snakes, battered by hurricanes. But through the intense imperial rivalries of Spain, France, and England, and the ambitious, entrepreneurial merchants and settlers from four continents who risked their lives to succeed in colonial America, this unpromising site became a crossroads for the whole Atlantic world. Lawrence N. Powell, a ...
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This is the story of a city that shouldn't exist. In the seventeenth century, what is now America's most beguiling metropolis was nothing more than a swamp: prone to flooding, infested with snakes, battered by hurricanes. But through the intense imperial rivalries of Spain, France, and England, and the ambitious, entrepreneurial merchants and settlers from four continents who risked their lives to succeed in colonial America, this unpromising site became a crossroads for the whole Atlantic world. Lawrence N. Powell, a decades-long resident and observer of New Orleans, gives us the full sweep of the city's history from its founding through Louisiana statehood in 1812. We see the Crescent City evolve from a French village, to an African market town, to a Spanish fortress, and finally to an Anglo-American center of trade and commerce. We hear and feel the mix of people, religions, and languages from four continents that make the place electric--and always on the verge of unraveling. The "Accidental City" is the story of land-jobbing schemes, stock market crashes, and nonstop squabbles over status, power, and position, with enough rogues, smugglers, and self-fashioners to fill a picaresque novel. Powell's tale underscores the fluidity and contingency of the past, revealing a place where people made their own history. This is a city, and a history, marked by challenges and perpetual shifts in shape and direction, like the sinuous river on which it is perched.
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Add this copy of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans to cart. $6.98, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
Add this copy of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans to cart. $14.62, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
Add this copy of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans to cart. $14.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans to cart. $14.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Accidental City to cart. $15.51, good condition, Sold by citywbooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Salt Lake City, UT, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
Add this copy of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans to cart. $25.00, very good condition, Sold by Dunaway Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Louis, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. Pages show some foxing. No markings otherwise. Binding is tight and square. Signed by the author on the title page. Dj is protected by a mylar cover.
Add this copy of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans to cart. $29.75, like new condition, Sold by Bingo Used Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Vancouver, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harvard University Press.
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Good+ in Very Good dust jacket. 0674059875. Foxing to the exterior edge of pages. Very Good condition otherwise. No other noteworthy defects. No markings.; 6.5 X 1.5 X 9.5 inches; 422 pages.