Nevada Books

If you are looking for introductory information on some of the most famous Las Vegas personalities, this is a good place to start. Unfortunately, it is not a good place to find indepth information on these men and their connections. The title is also misleading as it suggests that these men are the pioneers who laid the foundation for Las Vegas but in reality what you have is a collection of white-washed bios of the most popular casino owners. The true pioneers are the the men and women who toiled in the sand before the glitz and glam era began. The collection of featured figures read like a who's who of popular Vegas lore but you'll very little that hasn't been documented before on each. Benny Binion, Kirk Krikorian, Jay Sarno, Bugsy Siegel, Mo Dalitz are just a few of the featured figures.

This book is at its best when focusing on the less recent past in it's stories of Benny Binion, Howard Hughes, Jay Sarno, Sam Boyd and the like ... which are all excellent. I found the Kirk Kerkorian and Steve Winn ones a bit lacking, mostly because their stories aren't really over yet.

The last two chapters, not bios, but concept pieces , "How Popular Literature Has Treated Las Vegas" and "The Adult Playground Becomes a Heaven for Families" .. are pretty much a waste since Vegas has now focusing on going back to its "Adult" roots ..and the read no longer makes sense.

However, it you want to get some great and entertaining stories of the "good old days" .. and even a little before the "good old days", the first two-thirds of this book is certainly worth the asking price.

These are great tales of Las Vegas, but the writing drags. The research is clearly of the just-believe-what-someone-told-me school. There's still a great book to be written about the builders of the Strip and Glitter Gultch. This book is not the one.

I recently visited Las Vegas for the first time and wasmesmerized by what I saw. Every casino appeared to have a story behindit, and upon my return home, I wanted to know those stories.

The Players is a terrific read. The chapters give just ther right information on each topic to develop a working contextual knowledge of Vegas History. I was particularly fascinated by information on the Glitter Gulch rebels like Boyd and Binion. With the development of the Fremont Street experience, Downtown Vegas is a formidable tourist destination once again.

Overall, a great book. Don't let the fact that is published by a university press scare you. The chapters are short and clearly written. The casino business jargon is kept to a minimum, or when it is used, it is explained well. This book deserves more of an audience.

This is my 3rd map from Streetwise. The first I bought when I moved to Orlando and the 2nd was for the streets of Sydney. Now I'm relocating to Las Vegas and these maps have always been a big factor in locating my apartments. Thank you!

Slightly out of date. Save your $5.95 and go to AAA!

This small folding laminated map can be much more convenient that a standard paper folding road map. I've used both, and found that the Rand McNally road map uses such a small scale that it's annoyingly difficult to read. By contrast, the Streetwise Las Vegas map is much easier, as its scale is larger and the text is printed in an easy-to-read font.

A word of warning: This map does not cover all of the city of Las Vegas. It definitely hits all of the main areas a tourist would be apt to go, from the airport to the downtown Fremont area, and from the strip to UNLV, and everything in between. But the suburbs of the city are not covered, so you'll need another map if you're planning on venturing out of the glitzy part of Vegas.

This is a great general reference map of Vegas...but is a little out of date as it only shows part of I 215- which is now finished. It also is only of Vegas proper.

I chose this to begin the series of Mail Order Brides, and was pleasantly surprised at all the drama, intrigue, Christian morals and variety of characters.

When Linda's wedding turns to a horrible nightmare, she wonders if she will ever love again. Since mail order brides was quite new, she decides to escape her recluse life by giving it a try.

The man she falls in love with by mail and goes to meet all the way across the country, does not meet any of the criteria he himself had set for her, nor that she had pictured.

The reader will follow several different plots that have twists and turns and more suspense than one book usually holds.

I am heading to get another in this series...thanks Lacys.

The authors actually had a good plotline. Actually it was an excellent storyline. But the characters are so stereotypical. You have the perfect woman whose only fault is naivete. Then you have the evil sister, the perfect hero, and the terrible villain. It would make a great old melodrama. But definitely not great fiction.

This book had a predictable plot line and stiff characters. The reader is bashed over the head with the character's beliefs. Their Christian beliefs are, of course, good, but that was all that the characters had going for them. I would recommend this book to no one.

This is the first book I've read by these authors and was pleasantly surprised. The storyline took several unexpected turns that kept the reader engrossed in the lives of the main characters. However, it is my opinion that the two main characters were written a little too perfect spiritually, resembling more of how the autors would hope their characters would talk rather than actual realistic human (Christian or otherwise) responses. Hopefully we would all lead our lives in such a focused, unerring Christian attitude, but it would've helped the reader to see these characters struggle in everyday life a little more. Let me hasten to add, however, that the storyline is so intriging and the characters so likeable that I would still recommend it as a very good read.

Tonopah, is one of the best action books I have read. Christopher Lane really shows his best in creating such a story that makes us want to read more and more, I just couldn't put the book down! The suspense in the book is phenomenal, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Tonopah was a fast paced, easy reading book. Although the characters are fairly well developed some of the scrapes they escaped from seemed a little far-fetched. Moves along like a Bruce Willis movie... hard to believe but enjoyable and entertaining at the same time.

Definitely worth reading.

Christopher Lane needs to learn to do a little basic research before writing, apparently. His errors on military structure (a sergeant, which is a non-commissioned officer, is trying to make "non-com" -- hello, he already is one) and paleontology (saying T. Rex never got further south than Colorado, when remains have been found in Texas) really set my teeth on edge. The military etiquette mistakes grated on me as well. I also had problems with his "creation science" stance, but if you're religious that probably won't bother you. However, even most creation science people have admitted by now that all the supposed dinosaur-man trackways are just dinosaur trackways or outright fakes, so having a character in the book who really ought to know better saying that there are several such sites was also annoying. Other than that, it was an almost decent book.

If you like suspense and archaeology, this book is for you. I found this book to be fast-paced, exciting, and a real thriller. While I don't believe that the government is "out-to-get-you", I found the plot fascinating and the characters memorable.

This is a sweet book! It is beautifully written by a guy that obviously has had many years of experience in casinos. The advice on money management is right on, though different from most gambling books that advise you to budget your losses! This author says it is better to manage your money plan to win. The stories of his visits to casinos around the world are fun and insightful. And the words on casino psychology may well turn a disasterous visit into a profitable experience. He demonstrates why you should ONLY make bets with the lowest casino advantage. This is a different kind of book!!! You will love it.

50 Years At The Craps Tables by gambling expert Malcolm Jay is a hands-on, "reader friendly", personal account to the nature of the game of craps and the house odds that back it. Written by a veteran casino-goer who has indeed spent a full five decades observing craps play and how to shave the casino edge, 50 Years At The Craps Tables offers a fascinating wealth of insights as to why noisy tables are best to play; why one must never play simply because of "comping"; and much more. A fascinating read from first page to last, 50 Years At The Craps Tables is very strongly recommended for any casino patron interested in playing the game of craps and/or improving their skill at this particular form of gaming.

The 131 pages tell you little about playing the game other than to "bet the pass line and take full odds" and if the table is really good "make a couple of come bets with full odds".

Stories of casinos are generic in nature.

In one section the author talks of two casinos in Elko Nevada and the fact that neither had a craps table. He missed the largest casino in Elko (Red Lion) which does have a craps table. This was the only inaccuracy I knew of for sure but questioned a lot of other ststements.

Thumbs down on this one!

A disappointing book, least to me, because I found the photos too broad in the coverage. Having looked through it several times I thought it kept on verging on one of those picture books found in tourist shops with titles 'A book to remember her by'.

It really is a mixed bag. The photos I liked best were those that showed the non-tourist parts of the city: the huge pole billboards along the highway, small retail units, decaying buildings and street scenes but turn a page and there's a spread of the interior of The Forum or maybe the characters in the Museum of Magic and Movies.

This really should have been two books. One a photo survey of the exuberant (and vulgar) hotels and casinos, interior and exterior and book two the rest of Vegas. I would definitely go for the second and Hancock has shown with the photos in this book that he has an eye for interesting compositions and subject matter.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

"American Byzantium: Photographs of Las Vegas" depicts the startling contrasts of a city that is larger than life. It is no mere "coffee table" adornment; it is ART and REALISM fused into one magical book. The brilliant photographs of Virgil Hancock chronicle "Sin City" in all its glitter and in all its waste. His artistic images range from the neon-studded hotels on the strip to wedding chapels to pawn shops to a group of ventriloquists attending a convention.

Gregory McNamee perceptively captures the mood of a city that defines 'extremism' with his superb narration. His essays are insightful and frank without the flowery superlatives. McNamee weaves the tale of a town that is a contrast in Life 101.

Las Vegas is one of my favorite cities. Every few months, we fly our plane to Vegas and less than 2 hrs. later, I am transported to another world: a kingdom of luxury, excitement, and fine dining. There are few sights that are more captivating than slowly circling over the vast menagerie of neon lights.

I'm a "down to earth" woman - I love hiking through forests and deserts, but there are times when I want nothing more in life than to be pampered at The Venetian and enjoy all my favorite gourmet restaurants in Vegas. There are few places that I would rather visit.

"American Byzantium" is a must read for those who love Vegas as I do - as well as for those who plan to visit Vegas for the first time. This book captures Las Vegas in a way that not only focuses on the stardust of luxury, but brushes away that dust to reveal the stark realities as well.

It's a smallish book with not quite the usual photos that we normally see and are familiar with. I love Las Vegas and love Las Vegas books. This one is just one of the bunch. Not really a stand out but all together not bad. Its a good to average read, photos interesting but not that memorable. Keep looking I think, there are better books out there.

"Basque Terrorism" got great reviews in the Spanish press. One notable exception was "El Pais" which devoteed nearly a full page to condemning it. (The paper was at the time a friendly conduit for the Gonzales government. During its time in power, 27 Basque activists were murdered by security agencies.)

The strength of the book is in the details. Different aspects of the life and history of the Basque nation are brought together with strong, simple logic. It shows how hopes of freedom took the only path left open.

This book is best counterargument yet written to the official media fallacy on terrorism. It is lucid, well worded, and--above all--sensible.

Frederick Packer

Zulakika's Basque Violence is a confusing and chaotic work which attempts to examine the cultural background to the question of why a terroristic form of violence haunts the Basque people. The works' shortcomings are abundant and ubiquitous throughout his writing. No one outside of the field of ethnography will be able to comprehend the overpowering amount of ethnographic jargon that inundates Zulakika's work. His work is also delinquent in the fact that very few readers outside of the Basque culture could understand or find the thesis of the work. The reader feels as if he or she is stuck the eccentric mind of a bedlamite, who is rattling off the hagiology of the Basque culture from the Paleolithic era to modern day. The book is structured in what would appear at first glance to be studies of different areas of Basque culture and its relation to the violence that has been occurring in the area; however, the book fails to accomplish this task as well. Readers will be greatly disappointed with this work because it does not realize any of the intended goals that the author set for himself work.

When I first purchased the book, it was only because it dealt with the mob and Las Vegas. Once I began to read the book, it really made me think and the really great part of the book is that it examines each person and the reasons that they were included in the black book. If you like the mafia and you love Vegas, then you ought to read this one.

(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

The authors, criminal justice professors at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, argue that the "Black Book", (the list of persons excluded from participation in legal gambling), is maintained by the State of Nevada for symbolic purposes, to assert an image of control and propriety.

The Black Book is further tainted by its focus on stereotypical ethnic types, largely Italian Americans, to the exclusion of others, like the Mormans, who actually wield great power in Nevada gaming but suffer no opprobrium as a result.

Interesting reading.

The book written to show prejudice and a white wash of Nevada's casino industry instead showed the lack of research of the authors. The question asked apparently is should Frank Rosenthal or Carl Thomas be in the "Black Book"? My answer is why are so few others included. A review of those included in the "Black Book" show an unusually high number of convicted skimmers and bookmakers. Wouldn't these be the people most likly to cause problems within the casino industry. As for the case of poor Frank Masterana-he ran the largest bookmaking operation in the Dominican Republic until he was closed down and then moved to Latin America where he continues to operate an illegal establishment. I agree that there is a high number of Italian-Americans in the "Black Book" but most bookmaking throughout the US is controlled by those of Italian desent so of course they would represent a high number of gaming offenses and the related extortion and loan-sharking.

Ages 14-17. Father and son, Ivan a high school kid. Dad a proffesional violist not violinist.Mr.Zellner found a new job; Guess what comes after that?.Ivan sits at home eating pizza and watching baseball on the T.V.It's summer almost at the time were school is about to start. but unfortunately Ivan is not going to start his sophmore year with all his friends. They move to Carmony,Nevada thats right around the corner of Las Vegas,Nevada. Moving really changed Ivan he gets a job and is at the point that he is about to get a girl friend.The girl by the name of Caitlyn is a cowgirl, well thats what her costume at her job is.Gilda Ivans cousin is extremely stuckup she likes to make fun of peole and she isn't afraid to tell it to your face.As you know the state of Nevada has a lot of gambling. So then Ivan's dad gives it a try and he got lucky and he won one hundred dollars.The high school that Ivan is about to atart used to be a Casino that had a fire accident. The high school instead of having Math, Science and etc: it has College of Comedy, College of Gambling basically its a college form school having to do with the odds of gambling. at the end they stay put and Ivan makes two best-friends, he ends up going out with Caitlyn. He keeps his job as an Icecream Scoper.I really enjoyed the book except the whole naked women and gambling.
Maria Santana

this book is very hilarious, many teenagers would enjoy reading it, the common sense of the book is that Ivan Zellner is forced to move to Nevada because of his dad's job.. it continues with his friends and how they get together. Its a great book i would rate it as a 5 star but it doesnt make sense in some places.

this book made me almost fall out of my chair laughing. i would have gave it 5 stars but it didn't have much substance. but it was hilarious.