Amazon.com description: Product Description: Soak in a little New Orleans history while enjoying a visual tour of her homes. Known for beauty and style, New Orleans delivers as much in its architecture, even the simple shotgun houses in working neighborhoods. Houses of the Garden District and plantations beyond are simply stunning. A foreword by John Michael Vlach, Professor of American Studies and Anthropology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., traces the roots of New Orleans signature homes to their origins in Africa and Haiti. Author Alex Caemmerer takes care to point out the rich detailing that was lavished on even the most simple structures, and how tastes changed and homes evolved over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.