NEW ORLEANS – Arthur Hardy, a nationally recognized authority on Mardi Gras, will sign his new book, “Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” and the new “Mardi Gras Guide 2015” on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, at Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop, 631 N. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
King cake, French Truck coffee, and wine will be provided in true New Orleans Carnival style.
The expanded and revised 5th edition of “Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History” is a concise and comprehensive pictorial account of the celebration from ancient times in Europe to post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. With more than 350 vintage and contemporary illustrations and 60,000 words of text, it is the ultimate resource on Mardi Gras, past and present. The updated 5th edition includes a complete dictionary of terms, Mardi Gras Q&A, and an expanded reference section that provides details on hundreds of Carnival organizations, including the identities of more than 5,000 kings and queens.
“Arthur Hardy displays his incredible knowledge of the history and lore of Mardi Gras,” Blaine “Mr. Mardi Gras” Kern said. “There has never been a presentation of New Orleans’ greatest party told quite like this.”
Arthur Hardy, a fifth generation New Orleanian, is a nationally recognized authority on Mardi Gras. He has been seen on local television in New Orleans since 1987. Since 1977, his award-winning “Mardi Gras Guide” magazine has sold nearly 2 million copies to subscribers across the U.S. and in 27 foreign countries. He is a member of the mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory Committee and a popular guest speaker at conventions. He has played a key role in many Mardi Gras special events, including UNO’s annual Mardi Gras Symposium and the opening of the Jefferson Parish Mardi Gras museum in Kenner.
Hardy attended Warren Easton High School and received his music education degree from Loyola University in 1970. He taught instrumental music at Beauregard and Fredericks junior high schools and spent 17 years at Brother Martin High School as the director of bands and fine arts department chairman. He now lives in Metairie with his wife, Susan, and their two children. He continues to serve WDSU NewsChannel 6 and the New Orleans community as one of the foremost experts on the city’s largest annual event.
