John Churchill Chase (1905–1986)

Gorgeously drawn and interestingly written account of the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, prepared by a master draughtsman and longtime New Orleans editorial cartoonist, John Churchill Chase. The history is rock-solid and informative; the only complaint I have is that the story has a tendency to jump around somewhat, and occasionally go down alleys that aren't hugely relevant. This may have been a function of the fact that it was done as a year-long comic strip in 1953, on the 150th show more anniversary of the purchase. American history and cartoon fans will love it. show less

I've navigated thousands of streets in scores of cities round the world, only rarely stopping to ponder much how those street names have to say about their cities' stories, whether glorious or sordid. Nowadays many of us traverse modern cities cut into neat blocks by roads efficiently but boringly designated chiefly by numbers and letters, or states and presidents. (As in, "I'll meet you at the corner of 32nd and U, not Virginia and Jefferson.") Especially for those people, John Chases' book show more "Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children" will make you wish your city elders had the good sense to christen such tepidly named streets instead in honor of the famous or infamous folks who first founded your cities back when the roads weren't more than well-trod ruts in the dirt. Chase's book unveils the long and twisted history of New Orleans by revealing how its streets came to bear the names they do. For anyone who has wandered the serpentine thoroughfares and alleyways of New Orleans, or who wonders what forgotten tales the more singular street names of their own cities may tell, "Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children" is an enlightening and very entertaining read. show less

Come for the lovely and detailed drawings (by a long-time New Orleans editorial cartoonist). Stay for often-insightful, often-funny, occasionally-hilarious commentary on how the streets of New Orleans got their names. Louisiana mavens will get the most out of the book, but there's a lot to enjoy even for folks that have never been there. Notably in print for a long time after its original publication in 1949 (this edition, the 1979, is updated and also contains humorous corrections). Warmly show more recommended. show less

This book -- which may have been done in association with a convention -- is intriguing in that it collects the work of well over 150 editorial cartoonists active (and a few retired) in the early 1960s, including the great, near-great, and the frankly mediocre. The cartoons tend to focus on 1961, which is one reason there are so many Cuba/Castro related cartoons. A big boon for those trying to research the backgrounds on editorial cartoonists. A great deal of fun.