Louisiana:  An Illustrated History.  Edited by Theodore Rosengarten and Dale Rosengarten. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2002. 288 pages, 86 color plates, 74 halftones. $34.95 cloth.

     When Napoleon Bonaparte, having concluded that Louisiana as the center of a French Empire in the Americas was untenable, decided to sell his vast territory to the United States, the resulting Louisiana Purchase produced a profound and dramatic change in the development of the young republic. The Purchase gave the U.S. possession and control of the Mississippi River and doubled the land area of the nation, adding territory that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes and westward to the Rocky Mountains, a huge area that included what was to become all or part of 13 states, including Louisiana, which gained statehood in 1812.
     To celebrate the bicentennial observance of the Louisiana Purchase, the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting has published Louisiana: An Illustrated History, an extraordinarily handsome volume written by C. E. Richard, author of screenplays and other works on the state’s history and culture. The book is intended as a companion piece to Louisiana: A History, a six-hour documentary to be presented in September of this year.
     The book traces the history of Louisiana from its founding and earliest settlements as first a French, then Spanish, colony to its acquisition by the U.S. as part of the Purchase, and to its most recent past, a period of just over 300 years. The text provides informative and enjoyable reading, confronts boldly the state’s unsavory episodes, its often eccentric and sometimes bizarre politics and politicians, and gives full treatment to the rich cultural mixture that characterizes Louisiana. However, the book’s most notable achievement is found in its stunningly beautiful illustrations, many in color, drawn from artwork, photographs, and various historical documents. As such, it is a valuable collector’s item for those with an appreciation for the history of Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley, and, indeed, the United States.