About the Author

H. Sophie Burton earned her doctorate in Latin American history from Texas Christian University, USA, and is the author of numerous articles on colonial Louisiana.

F. Todd Smith, a professor of history at the University of North Texas, USA, is the author of five books, including his latest, Louisiana and the Gulf South Frontier, 1500–1821.

Reviews

". . . provides the reader with a detailed picture of this frontier community in the eighteenth century. . . a valuable resource for anyone interested in the growth of plantation-based slavery in eighteenth-century America."--Journal of American Ethnic History--Kenneth Aslakson "Journal of American Ethnic History"

". . . should be on the shelf of every researcher looking into colonial and frontier development."--HAHR--Ray F. Broussard "HAHR"

"Colonial Natchitoches, A Creole Community on the Louisiana-Texas Frontier is excellent in all respects, and authors H. Sophie Burton and F. Todd Smith accomplished this through extensive research in French and Spanish archives. Their meticulous analysis of the social and economic components of a frontier settlement through nearly a century lays bare the fabric of its development. Anyone working on studies of early colonial settlements should take note of this book and follow the guidelines set here. . . should grace any Louisiana library. It is a collectible that you should not overlook."--The Advocate-- "The Advocate" (5/4/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"Anyone interested in community formation will find this book a joy to read. . . a model local study. . . All historians of the early Deep South should put this book on their essential reading list."--American Historical Review--Thomas N. Ingersoll "American Historical Review"

"Authors H. Sophie Burton and F. Todd Smith have crafted a remarkable definitive study of Natchitoches, Louisiana. . ."--Chronicles of Oklahoma-- "The Chronicles of Oklahoma" (12/8/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"This book should inspire new debate about this important historic site."--Choice-- "CHOICE" (2/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"This wonderful new micro history of colonial Natchitoches builds on earlier studies to . . . give us a snapshot of life on the Louisiana frontier, one solidly based on archival research, which greatly enhances our understanding of an important chapter in Louisiana history. This is social history at its best and deserving of a place on reading lists in Louisiana history courses."--Louisiana History--Brian E. Coutts "Louisiana History"

" . . . blazes new historiographical ground by providing an in-depth community study of Natchitoches during the eighteenth century . . . . they provide a detailed economic analysis that shows that trade with Native Americans did not dominate colonial Natchitoches, challenging what some earlier studies had supposed . . . . This important study establishes interpretations and conclusions about colonial Natchitoches that will inform scholarship for decades to come." --Journal of American History-- "The Journal of American History"

"With publication of H. Sophie Burton and F. Todd Smith's Colonial Natchitoches, the history of colonial Louisiana has taken a giant step forward. Their meticulous analysis of French and Spanish archival documentation for the social and economic components of a frontier settlement through nearly a century lays bare the fabric of its development. This study sets a standard that future histories of colonial settlements will want to follow."--Gilbert C. Din, author, Spaniards, Planters, and Slaves--Gilbert C. Din, author, Spaniards, Planters, and Slaves