Nevada Books

There are dozens of good Sierra guides out there, most of them detailing the must-see places for a newcomer or those who want to stick to the trails. However, those with some backcountry experience desiring routes on where to go off the trail have only a few resources: this book, Secor's "High Sierra" and Roper's "High Sierra Route" & "Climber's Guide to the High Sierra". All are essential for those desiring to trek through the backcountry where no trails exist. The Secor book is the most comprehensive, truly an encyclopedia, yet it's scope and necessary lack of detail, leave you a bit overwhelmed; most visitors aren't going to have opportunity to see it all.

This book and the famed Roper "High Sierra Route" nicely give more detail on selected routes through the backcountry. Arnot, a backcountry guide for some 40 years, draws upon a great body of experience in the Sierras to describe some of his favorite places, destinations that only a fraction of Sierra visitors ever venture to see: Tehipite valley, the Ionian Basin, the Muro Blanco, Gardiner Basin, the Enchanted Gorge (though Secor sarcastically says there's nothing enchanting about it)... Arnot pretty much focuses on non-technical class I-II trips and also pays a lot of attention to suggesting the times of year to visit certain places. His enthusiasm is infectious and his routes are filled with interesting anecdotes of his actual ventures. At times Arnot succumbs to an inspirational, wide-eyed-full-of-wonder sappiness that may be off-putting for some. Fortunately these passages are clearly demarcated from the rest of the text. The book has no maps, so enjoying it fully requires you to have some good topographic maps handy or a computer's Topo program nearby. The photos whet the appetite nicely and leave one wishing they were of higher resolution and in color. Overall a terrific and unique resource.

As another reviewer says, this is not a comprehensive guide. It is a guide to the places and experiences people who know the Sierra dream about--the Muro Blanco, Kaweah Basin, Tehipite Valley; spring runoff and fall color. This book is like a wish list for the Sierra insider.

It's also a labor of love, a celebration of the author's own experiences in the Sierra. Arnot's sheer enthusiasm for his subject is so endearing that it overcomes any criticism I have of his writing, which is often awkward. (With a better editor, it would get 5 stars.)

This book is good winter reading for experienced backpackers. It is not a comprehensive guide to the Sierra (for that, Secor's "The High Sierra" is the best). Rather, Arnot picks his favorite hikes and describes them in considerable detail. Most of the hikes he describes are ambitious undertakings that bring one to the less commonly reached areas of the Sierra--not the hikes most people would want to begin with. For anyone reasonably familiar with the Sierra, his book is a pleasure to read, and a source of ideas for future trips

I agree with the previous two reviewers: The book is not meant as a comprehensive, trail-by-trail, peak-by-peak guidebook (that's Secor). It describes about 40 special places in the Sierra Nevada, allmost all of them off-trail. While Arnot does tell you how to get there, more of the writing is on WHY you might want to get there. The book is not the book you would buy if you've never been to the Sierra (again, Secor is what you want). It's by someone who loves the Sierra for people who love the Sierra. Whenever I read a chapter it makes me want to leave for the mountains immidiately. On a practical note I have found that it's usually possible to make somewhat better time than Arnot's estimates, without doubt because equipment has become much lighter since the book was written.

Mr. Dicks is an attorney and a active business person. You won't find generic or plagerized advice written by "paper tigers" who write well but have no real world experience.

There is a wealth of information in this and others in the "How To" series and ideal for anyone who wants facts and useful information.

Wow what a book, it is very comprehensive on the really needed subjects. The beginning of the book describes the different types of corporations and what applications they fit best. I know I want to incorporate but was not sure what type I wanted. After reading the first chapter I had a clear course of action. There are some very usefull forms well; writting the articles of incorporation, bylaws, resolutions, minutes for the first meeting, etc. It also has some great contact information as well. Over all the book is well written, easy to read, and very clarifying. I would definetly recommend this book or any of the others in this series just based on my experiance with this one.

This book is about incorparating, and only at its very end it becomes about incorporating in Nevada. If you need to know about the many kinds of corporations available or how to raise money for you company,go ahead and buy it. But remember you are going to find an entire chapter on general tax strategies and few lines about Nevada tax information, ending with:"if you require further information, please contact the Department of Taxation at (702) 687-4820". I hope that having the number already here may save you the cost of this book....

I picked up this book along with The Small Business Legal Kit (also by Dicks) How to Incorporate and Start a Business in Nevada is very complete and an easy read. It provide charts and forms.

If you are contemplating starting a business/corporation in Nevada you will not go wrong by reading this book. It's a winner.

The Small Business Legal Kit is a great companion to this book and should be in your financial library as well.

I bought this book while taking a fiction workshop taught by Lee Barnes, curious about his published work. It was a great decision. The story never slows and takes the reader from the old streets of Las Vegas to the mountains of Montana. Peter grows a lot from a kid until a strong, compassionate adult. Barnes did a wonderful job turning his characters into real people. And overall wonderful story.

I am a Las Vegas junkie and as such purchased this book on Amazon. I mean, who couldn't purchase a book with such a cool cover.

Unfortunately, I was hoping to read a real tour-de-force about Vegas; its people, its energy.... and particularly, to get a huge dose of vintage Vegas. Although all of these elements are present to varying degrees, the story is a bit too conventional, and the characters a bit too cardboard, for me to get really excited.

That being said, it is very much in the "coming of age" (Bildungsroman) genre -- transplanted to Vegas. Kind of Dickensian. A little TOO much so. It is very self-consciously literate, culminating in the wince-inducing exchanges between the Casino Boss and the protagonist over "that fella Gatsby." Catch my drift?

I judged a book by it's cover, and picked this off the shelf at my local library.

And I am so glad that I did.

A powerful, engaging coming-of-age story that eloquently details the story of two families tied together by history, love, responsibility and success. Although the twists and turns are occasionally predictable, the imagery and characters make up for it. Definitely recommended.

H. Lee Barnes has written a novel--at times engaging and at times disturbing but at all times interesting--about a boy's coming of age in 1960s Las Vegas. Peter Elkins, son of a woman infected by wanderlust, is taken in by a casino king, Willy Bobbins, who offers him a chance to take his place as the owner of the Lucky, a downtown gaming house. Peter, however, must deal with the vicious and chaotic elements of Vegas culture, as well as the vicious and chaotic members of Bobbins's family, in his pursuit to discover himself. Barnes skillfully blends together elements of Fitzgerald's _Gatsby_, Conrad's _Heart of Darkness_, Dickens's _Bleak House_ and _Great Expectations_, and the biblical story of Moses to give the story its scope and direction, and his attention to the details of the Las Vegas landscape--both inside and outside of the casinos--will delight those who are familiar with the city. Careful readers will also see Barnes borrow from his own Viet Nam short story "Tunnel Rat" to give measure to the chaos that dominates the story: if Viet Nam is Chaos, and Willy's Montana ranch is Heaven on Earth, then Las Vegas strikes an uneasy balance somewhere between. Peter Elkins also falls somewhere between--a good man who nevertheless commits questionable actions--and he finds a peaceful life only when he can extract himself from the extremes of the landscapes that have shaped him.

I picked up Bob Madgic's book by chance on a friend's coffee table. I have no interest in trout fishing, some interest in the environment, and a great deal of interest in family values and inter-relationships. To my suprise I read the book from cover to cover being drawn in by the incidents revealing the challenges accepted by this family which were dealt with with good humor and love for each other. They seemed to leave their egos behind them as they experienced the wilderness and the people they met there. Incidently, I learned more about trout fishing and good fishing streams than I really wanted to know, and enjoyed the introduction to a sport of which I knew nothing. There are many reasons to read this book!

I have been to many of the places that Madgic describes and envy his ability to articulate the special feelings that these places engender. A wonderful book that gently arrives at a point of view regarding conservation without being preachy.

This book impressed me with the family's simple enjoyment of each other and their experiences as they search for and learned to treasure and protect the wild trout streams. I enjoyed the illustrations showing various experiences of the family as they went about their adventures.

There is a message of utmost importance in this book that is told through amusing stories of adventure into the wilderness: Only if we carefully preserve the trouts extended habitat can we continue to pursue wild trout. Take one or maybe two fish and flavor them. Leave the rest behind and enjoy the wilderness where they are raised. Before you return home, make sure you leave everything around you like it was when you first got there!

I read this book several years ago. As a writer, who enjoys "early California-Irish history," I was impressed by the diligent work of G. Williams. This book is a caring, thoughtfull book, covering many aspects of mining history -- complete with colorful characters like rosa may.

I lived in bodie as a child before it became a state park, I own one of Rosa May's perfume bottles, the one with the daisys for the top. I haven't read the book, but I know the town pretty well.

I had read and commented on: The Guide to Bodie and Eastern Sierra Historic Sites (Western Americana History Series): by George Williams and became interested enough to buy this book. I feel I now have a better idea of life in Bodie during the late 1800's and early 1900's, and I have learned a great deal about Mr. Williams and his early tries at being an author. I intend to return to Bodie next summer and if the occasion arises I would like to meet Mr. Williams. Any one who can write a book so compelling that I finished it in two settings must be an interesting man to know. I also want to go to Rosa May's grave and see if I too can sense the compelling interest in Rosa May that Mr. Williams felt when he first went there. Don Gerue

George Williams did an excellent job on reserching this amazing woman! A true story of a woman who made mistakes and in the end, helped people risking her own life and then paying for it. She will definatly find a way into the readers heart.

C. Ryan, in his review of this book, states that the "most disappointing [aspect] is that Gilligan never suggests specific hikes during which the Sierra visitor can observe the vegetation, animals and geologic phenomenon he describes."

The book's title is The Secret Sierra, emphasis on "secret."

The "Secret Sierra" referred to in the title is the high altitude portion of California's Sierra Nevada. After 14-page introductory remarks on the "History and Philosophy of Natural History" the bulk of David Gilligan's natural history survey consists of 43 chapters, averaging less than seven pages each, on various aspects of Sierran geology, geomorphology, biology and environmental transitions over time, interspersed with lyric descriptions of some the author's Sierra experiences and quotations from other authors and naturalists. The main text is followed by eight pages of appendices listing an inventory of the Alpine Sierra's plants, bird and mammals, the author's references and an index.

In essence this is a text book for field courses in Alpine Sierra natural history, which the author instructs. There are lots of Latin and scientific terms and the chapters are fairly detailed on sometimes-ignored-topics like alpine soil development and detailed descriptions of remnant Sierran glaciers and their signature moraines. On the other hand some intriguing and colorful aspects of the Alpine Sierra, for example Bighorn Sheep and avalanches, are virtually ignored.

There are some disappointing aspects to this book. Many of the described phenomena are not unique to the Sierra and are known to people familiar with other mountain ranges. There is somewhat excessive detail about a few topics and quite superficial coverage of others. Most disappointing is that Gilligan never suggests specific hikes during which the Sierra visitor can observe the vegetation, animals and geologic phenomenon he describes.

And some of Gilligan's paragraph-leading statements are less brilliant insights: "Altitude is associated with mountain regions more than any other factor" and "Streams and lakes, being aquatic, are the wettest habitats of the alpine zone." Altitude in the mountains? Streams and lakes wet? Who knew?

On a more positive note in several spots Gilligan thoughtfully raises the notion that the Sierra Nevada has been through many climate changes and has been intermittently devoid of even its current tiny remnant glaciers, most recently 5,000-8,000 years ago when Native Americans were already living in the region. He also says it's common for plant and animal species to ebb and flow in the Sierra under natural circumstances. Rather than mimic global warming hysteria the Hidden Sierra's author provides the useful perspective that major climate changes are normal and both humans and living things have successfully dealt with greater changes than we may be currently facing.

Throughout the book are interesting, well composed black and white photographs of the High Sierra landscape, but there are absolutely no maps to orient the reader to any of the locations photographed or described.

Recommended, subject to the limitations described above, to anyone who wants to learn or review the natural history of the High Sierra.

Mr. Gilligan brings the reader as close to "The Range of Light" as one can get without being immersed in it. He is quite unapologetic for his subjective approach in studying the ecology of the Alpine Sierra Nevada, and rightfully so. The reverence for which Mr. Gilligan has for these mountains assists the reader in transcending the boredom of science into the exciting realm of the personal and graspable.

From landscape geography to the intricate workings of geological activity, Mr. Gilligan brings scientific concepts to the laypersons realm. If you want a book that brings both the forest and the trees to your doorstep, this is it. The only real drawback to this book is the sense of burning desire it leaves, which can only be extinguished by breathing the Sierra Nevada Alpine Air. Then, and only then, will the understanding that Mr. Gilligan has impartd to his reader be fully appreciated.

David Gilligan says it best, "Whether the Hindu and Buddhist ressurectionists have had it wrong or right all this time, I can conceive of no other way of living this precious life than as if it were the first and last time I will have to kiss the bones of the earth, shaken upward in a stone embrace with the alpine sky." I'm coming Heckle-Me Fiddle!!!

As a 'student' of the High Sierra, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone with a love for the precious Sierra Nevada. Its only shortcoming (is it a shortcoming?) is that for anyone with little to no previous understanding of geologic processes, biology, botany, et al, they may feel slightly lost at times. Mr. Gilligan rarely gives a background to the process, event, or adaptation he is about to describe. Those who have studied the aforementioned subjects will appreciate that the author delves straight into a subject without prefacing it with general background.

A must for the collector of Sierra Nevada books.

After reading the first volume, it was hard tobelieve that there were so many more great people stories about the historical Sierra mountains: miners, badmen (and women), and people of great achievements. A well-written, fun set of stories all true.

A great read! McLaughlin captures his reader immediately and holds on throughout each story. I especially enjoy the way he writes about the strength of the women in the old west. He has an obvious respect for their trials and accomplishments. Refreshing! I lent my copy to a coworker who took it on her family vacation to read aloud during long rides in the car. She said the entire family enjoyed it (husband and 2 kids - aged 10 and 15) and they're looking forward to reading Volume II on their next trip.

A collection of true tales of the people who made the Sierra Mountains of California so interesting in the last 200 years. McLaughlin has chosen his tales well and shows great skill in crafting them so they are fun to read and informative to boot.

We bought both books after hearing Mark McLaughlin lecture at an Elderhostel in Lake Tahoe. They are short, factual stories brimming with historical information presented in extremely interesting manner. They are as fascinating to read as he is in his lectures and we highly recommend them.

The problem with this guide is it was written in the 30's and the trailhead info is not totally reliable. For hardcore JMT fans this is a must-read.

There's no doubt that Robinson's guide is one of the great books written about the JMT, no one disputes this. It's nicely written, informative and gives background on the trail not found in other guides. However (and this is a huge "but"), this book is *not* useful for planning a present-day thru hike of the John Muir Trail. It was written in the mid 1930's and so much has changed in the intervening 70 years. Locations to trailheads, water sources and resupplying points and all drastically changed since 1936.

Most people who thru hike the JMT want all books every published about it, to remind ourselves of our accomplishment. This book definitely deserves a hallowed spot on your bookshelf, it just doesn't belong in your pack in these modern times.

My dad and I hiked the length of the JMT many years ago. At that time Starr's Guide was invaluable. In terms of its accuracy, we encountered only one minor hiccup and it was probably our own fault. We didn't recognize Senger Creek when we passed it and we kept looking for it for a few miles when it was actually behind us. Hiking a few extra miles at the end of the day was hard but it all worked out as we took a layover day for some fishing on the middle fork of the San Joaquin River.

For more information on "Pete" Starr, check out William Alsup's book, "Missing in the Minarets: The Search for Walter A. Starr Jr."

Having grown up in the John Muir Wilderness as a Boy Scout, I can attest to the greatness of the guide. Its size and intricate, step ny step trial guidance is second-to-none. An absolute must-read for anyone even remotely contemplating a trek between Mount Whitney and Yosemite. Despite the fact that the information in the guide originates in the 1930's, it is still relevant today and provides a very sound planning tool for Scouters and "civilians" alike. I recommend it highly for another reason: It fits in the outer pocket of my backpack!

"Thanksgiving" is Michael Dibdin with a twist. There's no Aurelio Zen on-scene, but the British author's brilliant pacing, understated sophistication and dead-on characterizations are present in profusion. I've read all his published works, and this is the best of the best.

Michael Dibdin is one of genre fictions great writers. And as well as being a fine prose stylist Dibdin is versatile. He has written a fine modern series, the Aurelio Zen books, which concluded with the near perfect Blood Rain; has written witty (and erudite) parodies such as The Last Sherlock Holmes Story and The Dying of the Light; and atmospheric thrillers, such as The Tryst. His recent work has suggested a certain tiredness with genre. In some ways the elegiac Blood Rain almost seemed a goodbye to genre. That background has led to his latest novel, Thanksgiving. It is a slight book in size but deals majestically with large themes.

The premise is simple : a widower attempts to find out about his late wife's life before she met him. He is a British journalist, she an American previously married to a redneck. To prepare for his meeting with the first husband, the protagonist takes a pistol.

The opening chapter is a tour de force. Atmosphere is convincing, and the tension of the meeting between the two men linked only by their late lover is cranked up through Dibdin's typical mastery of dialogue.

This confrontation with the past permeates the rest of the novel, and throughout Dibdin deals with love, loss, memory, and identity.

As with all his work the characterisation is deftly drawn. Particularly noteworthy are the first husband, and the protagonist's stepdaughter. The relationship that provides the hub of the novel is convincing, and the grief, and bereavement, are touchingly illustrated. One of Dibdin's merits as a stylist (a development in his more recent work particularly) is his tendency to show and not tell and at times this can lead to some writing appearing obtuse. This is no fault, and in a book such as this the dreamlike quality that pervades the novel is reminiscent of other great studies of longing, love, and desire such as Schnitzler's Dream Story.

The territory covered in this novel was also dealt with in Julian Barnes witty novel, Before she met me. It says much of modern British fiction that it is the well-known genre writer's novel that will live long in the memory, and that the much-feted Barnes' work seems slight in comparison.

For this reviewer, this is unquestionably Dibdin's finest novel.

I've been a fan of Michael Didbin's Aurelio Zen novels for some time. I've liked the mix of humor, cynicism, and opera buffo that each of the stories contain, and expected something of the same with "Thanksgiving." To be sure, the book starts out with a weirdly comic confrontation between the recently bereaved Anthony and his deceased wife's ex-husband, but it's only the launching pad for a much deeper, more tender exploration of love, loss, and longing than you would expect. This is a story of how sorrow can infiltrate a life and engender a fulsomeness equal to, or even greater than, the loss that prompts it. It's a fairly quick read that provides much more than its beginning would indicate, and was moving enough to cause me a sob on the last page.

My only criticism of this novel is in a wish that Mr. Didbin had found a way to begin equal to the depth of the story that followed.

Caveat emptor: Though "Thanksgiving" is of perfect length for airplane reading, don't read it while flying. It contains a description of an "airline disaster" that could keep you out of the air forever.

The term, "Derivative", often carries a derogatory or negative connotation when applied to a book. The criticism is often valid; a given Author lacking the skill/idea will replicate a thinly veneered version of the original. However great musicians, painters, and other skilled practitioners of the arts also have done variations on a theme for reasons of vanity, tribute, or reasons known only to them. Michael Dibdin's, "Dirty Tricks", was similar to John Banville's, "Book Of Evidence". The same comment can be validly made between, "Thanksgiving", by Mr. Dibdin, and "Before She Met Me", by Mr. Julian Barnes. All four books were very good and while sharing similar plot lines, they are complimentary, not derivative in a negative sense.

Mr. Dibdin has stepped aside from his well known, "Aurelio Zen", series on several occasions, I believe, `Thanksgiving", to be easily the best. The work is fairly brief at 182 pages, a length that few Authors can manage successfully, however Mr. Dibdin excels. There is a great deal of geography covered as well as an array of human emotion. The main players are kept to a tightly controlled few, and every word his uses must justify itself, he leaves little to zero room for excess.

The idea covered is the preoccupation with the life and conduct of a spouse prior to her becoming the subject's wife. The similarity between this book and Mr. Banville's ends here, what remains to be shared is the quality of the work. Violence, jealousy, remorse, and irrational behavior all are explored, the question to be resolved is how will it end, how will the emotions be dealt with. There is an additional catalyst in a rather unsavory character that elicits virtually all you would expect from Mr. Dibdin's main character. Darryl Bob Allen is not one of the more likable characters a reader will have come across, however I also feel he is one of the best human creations that Mr. Dibdin has conjured. As for cameo appearances the airline pilot who shares the details of a crashing plane, while disturbing, is also brilliant.

This book has jarring, provocative exchanges, however as the book progresses and distance and time increase, the intensity becomes more rational and manageable. There is no great twist that will send you reeling, rather a conclusion that could be misread if read with too much haste. The book is an elegant story, and a great addition to this man's work.

Nevada is one weird place, and Joe Oesterle and Tim Crindland take a creative approach to unearthing the true weirdness of this majestic state. I especially liked the "Bizarre Beasts" section with its entry on the Wahoo--one of America's most underrated mythical monsters. Did I just write that?

Huge thanks to the authors, as well, for the mention of my novel Operation EMU in the "Local Legends" section.

A fun book, but doesn't really share anything new. Most of what is written about in this book is already available just about everywhere else. Not much to surprise here, either. Neon sign museum in Las Vegas? Who would have thunk it? You could get the same information for free from the state tourism guides.

This book is a must if you visited or live in Las Vegas. There are many places off the beaten path (like the Pinball Hall of Fame). If like to visit place that are less travel (not your typical tourist trap) than this is your book. Buy this book is worth every dollar!!!!!

Do not venture into the Silver State without this guidebook; otherwise, you might miss out on a lot! From America's weirdest city, Las Vegas, you can go out into the dark countryside: miles and miles and miles of open, empty space enlivened here and there by some kind of crazy, quixotic human enterprise. I love Nevada because I believe it's the weirdest state of all. Thanks to this book, I no longer have to drive for miles, dodging roadside phantoms and risking alien abduction, in order to get my weirdness fix.