There are bigger cities than New Orleans, more beautiful cities than New Orleans, and more important cities than New Orleans but there is no city more interesting than New Orleans. This is a fascinating book about a fascinating city. -- James Carville A masterful unfolding of the story of the most complicated and unusual city in the United States. This will become the definitive book on the early history of not only New Orleans but much of the Gulf Coast. -- John M. Barry, author of Rising Tide and Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul The Accidental City is a tour de force--engagingly written, broad in scope, precise in detail, and completely worthy of its fascinating, complex, soulful subject. -- Tom Piazza, author of Why New Orleans Matters and City of Refuge An epic account of how America's most exotic city crept and clawed its way into existence. Powell evokes the swamps, sweat, misery, grandeur, and colorful and seedy characters that came together to create a place that Thomas Jefferson could never comprehend. -- Joseph J. Ellis, author of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson Powell's fluid, pungent narrative and comprehensive interpretive reach argue powerfully for New Orleans' enduring cultural significance in America and globally. -- Nick Spitzer, producer of public radio's American Routes The Accidental City is an extraordinary book--hands down, the best account of the first two centuries of the history of New Orleans. -- Ira Berlin, author of Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves

Lawrence N. Powell holds the James H. Clark Endowed Chair in American Civilization and is Director of the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South at Tulane University.