Nevada Books

I bought this book because amazon keep pushing it to me based on the other books I have bought. Of all the books I have bought on the sex industry, this has been the worst. It gives no new information. It dosn't "uncover" anything. Anyone who hasn't been living in a cave for the past 50 years already knows everything in this book. Yes, there are strip clubs and escorts and swingers in las vegas. Las vegas has a lot of sex going on. "what happens here, stays here." Don't buy this book unless you really don't know what a strip club is, or what swingers do with each other. Save your money.

This is a very poor book. It has almost nothing to do with Las Vegas at all. It centers on porn stars and the porn industry, and the people profiled are most vapid and boring along with being incapable of reflection. The narrator's inability to make note of their deficient qualities and provide any sort of insight is its real flaw; however, as Sheehan appears incapable of judging anything or anybody which is indicative of many an academic nowadays. These types concentrate on being "tolerant" and "non-judgmental" which results in their having nothing to say. Porn is a means to an end for most guys. It isn't intriguing or meaningful. It's something in lieu of something else. If you enjoy reading about Las Vegas, I'd advise you to look at other titles.

As one who has owned both an Extoic Dancer Web site and a Las Vegas Escort Web site, I have met known and photgraphed dancers and escorts going back to 1997 anf quiter frankly a lot of information is just not right. While those he interviewed those things might be true, but in general they seem out od whack with the many ladies I have known. This is true particularly for the escorts, as anyone with any brains can see that escorts don't start out at $500 for an hour. Don't waste money on this book, is mostly a lot of hype and while you might find it entertaining, there is just too much that is flat out wrong. There are better books I am sure if you want to get the lowdown on the adult industry in Vegas.

I have never posted a review before, but felt the need to do so after reading half of this utterly useless book. I am a voracious reader who loves stories about Las vegas, but this book is not worth your time. I feel like a sucker for buying it and hope that I can save someone else from wasting their money.

The other reviewers are right, this book is not about Las Vegas ('for a good time go here and say Jack sent you') it is about the sex industry and sexual values in America. With that as its subject, this is an interesting book to those who, like me have lived sheltered lives.

The author is a journalist and so the chapters are free-standing articles. The first article/chapter is a visit to the Porn Oscars. It sounds like fun. The next is about a young lady of the author's acquaintance who is a college student/porn actress/prositute. She sounds interesting.

Each chapter seems to take us into stranger and more alarming sexual practices. Are you comfortable with Chapter Three? Does Chapter Six repel you?

But more than that, the author talks about people, not practices. What does a hooker do with her day off? What are swinging couples really like? Many of the people interviewed seem to frankly admit they wonder if they made the right decision with their lives.

An interesting way to go places I would never go and to meet people I would not otherwise meet.

A light hearted book with cute characters. Vonnie Taylor and Adam Baldwin make a sweet pair with a stronge attraction to each other. A definite read for anyone looking for something to do other than watch TV.

Way to much sexual description, from a Christian Author

You will be VERY disappointed. I had to check to see if a final chapter had been left off my book. The plot was loose at best and nothing was fully developed. Her characters weren't believable and their reactions were unrealistic. I don't see any woman deciding that it was unfair to punish the woman that was marrying her own secretly wed husband by refusing to make her wedding dress for her. It just doesn't hold up. What's sad is that I've enjoyed Lori Copeland's books in the past and this is not her best work.

What an entertaining twist... with Adam Baldwin hoping to pull off a quick divorce with his secret wife, Vonnie, so he can marry the sweet Beth Baylor... and Vonnie secretly furious at the entire affair. This story is full of misunderstandings, lack of communication, anger, rage, and a lot of passion. The main characters are warm, and loving, but I found it quite enterataining. I would recommend this story, however, did not find it a must read.... although quite enjoyable.

Taking into consideration that the characters were 15 and 17 seven years earlier this turns out to be a wonderfully innocent love story with general complications.

Now we come onto Vonnie Taylor Baldwin at 22 and Adam Baldwin at 24 with a marriage complicated by their fathers deep-seated aversion to each other, is it a wonder they don't seem to know how to straighten out their lives??

Throw in a grief stricken mother and a melancholy friend, Franz - well it is almost too much for Vonnie. She has a friend in Beth Baylor who is supposed to marry Adam, due to another misunderstanding I might add. And now Beth, who has a great admiration for Vonnie's talents as seamstress and bridal dress maker, wants a Vonnie original.

Beth tries to involve Adam in the wedding planning but Adam just can't seem to care.
Accidents start to happen around the Flying Feather ranch. Vonnie's father, Teague is raising Ostrichs, which the neighbors didn't like. The birds are a riot. Do they really ride them?? Then came the house fire. . . . .
Adam feels a need to protect Vonnie even though he is pushing for a divorce. And the memories of seven years ago are bringing back the love they had for each other.

I always wondered how P.K. Baldwin and Franz figured in the prologue and what ever happened to El Johnson?

The story was of every day events happening in 1898 to these people involved in hiding secrets of the past and resolving them in the present. I did enjoy meeting Adam's 3 brothers, Andrew, Joey and Pat and I had to laugh at Beth driving that first automobile, seems just like a woman in that day who thinks she can do anything. [this needs a triple smiley.]

Definitely RECOMMENDED - a great change of pace from all the bed hopping stories being put out. But as I always say - see for yourself.

The book is a decent additional resource to Urioste's "Red Book" (see also her 2003 26 trad routes addendum). Combined w/ the Red Rocks' SuperTopos the three will almost give you one good guidebook's worth of beta.

It IS your Red Rocks' "Bible" if you are a sport climber.

I do not believe this book can even be considered a guide book. No topos for certain areas. Poor descriptions. I went to Red Rocks with this book and it only got me to where I needed to park. I used the kindness of locals to get me to where I needed to go. Don't waste your time on this book. It's a pile.

I consider Swain's guide book to be a work in progress. I hear that the 3rd edition is out and that it is improved. You have to remember that Swain is tall and likes to sandbag, so if he downgrades your best onsight, don't let it get to you. Sure, he messes up some pitch lengths, pitch grades and approaches but I believe he's trying to do his honest best to write a quality guide. He's no Greg Opland, but maybe he can learn.

The book is very good overall. However the author should have spent a lot more time editing it before printing. The book has numerous contradictions as far as the rating system goes. One climb might be listed as a trad climb only and then in the index that same climb is listed as a sport climb. The index's section on the 5.10a climbs is completely screwed up! About 85% of these climbs are listed as a sport climb but then when you flip to that page they are listed as strictly trad climbs. It's very frustrating sometimes. The book has a lot of very helpful information and as of 1999 it was by far the best available. Hopefully the author will fix all of these problems in the next printing that has been rumored to be release for about 2 years and going.

I've been living and climbing at Red Rocks for two years now. Swain's guide book publicizes a number of new routes that are not in the previous guide; however, not all descriptions are adequate, and a few are even dangerous (such as fixed anchors indicated in the book where there are none in reality). You may also tire of the author's rather feeble attempts at humour! Having said this, I do use the guide alot, and when coupled with the older Urioste guide it serves its purpose. I am saddened however, by Swain's decision to not include a relatively large number of very good routes that were in the old guide-- thereby effectively 'erasing' good routes from the public memory. This amounts to a kind of bizarre censorship, as many of the routes he has left out are quite good and worth preserving. I, and many others, hope for a more enlightened guide book in the future; meanwhile, however, Swain's guide will suffice for most occasional visitors.

Basic love story with too much religious emphasis. Unlikely ending....I couldn't even finish it.

I bought this book because it was cheap and I wanted to try new authors (besides Lori Wick). This book was an easy read, a nice escape from the reality of school and work. I will buy other books by Al & Joanna Lacy because I think they have potential. However, I did not care for the development of this story. In the beginning of the book, I kept wondering about the sequence of events. By the end of the book, I still wondered about the time spent on the fire danger and how it all fit into the plot. I would have liked to see more of the book written about Kathleen and Tom instead of so much time spent on the fire danger and her time before becoming a mail order bride. The step son seemed a little too mature for a 6 year old. I felt it was unrealistic how quickly he began calling Kathleen Mommy, especially considering his strong feelings against calling her Mommy when they first met. The way they forgave and helped the Stallworth family was encouraging...I have to wonder if I would be able to forgive so easily and give so much to the people treated me so badly. I recommend this book if someone is looking for an easy read to escape from reality for a time.

Al & Joanna Lacy are very prolific Christian fiction writers, and I have been looking forward to reading their work. Secrets of the Heart was such a big disappointment, however. Although the basic plot is imaginative and the characters are endearing, the entire book was lacking in several ways. First, the authors took half the book just to give the background to the major storylines: Kathleen being reunited with her daughter and Tom and Kathleen finding happiness together. The background leading up to Kathleen's problems was just too involved and detailed, so much so that the first part of the story detracted from the rest of it. Second, the "meat" of the story was sketchy and left a lot of gaps. Perhaps if the authors had not spent so much time developing the background that this part of the story would be better. Also, Kathleen and Tom's characters were not as well-rounded as they could have been. Tom especially is not a particularly interesting character. It was hard for me to empathize with him when I knew virtually nothing about him. Finally, the ending just sews up all to neatly. Even though I was glad of the way it ended, a lot of gaps in the story and "fast forwarding" occurred before I got there. On the plus side, the lesson that Kathleen learns about forgiveness and God's love is the major strength of this book. Secrets of the Heart should probably best be categorized as young adult fiction, but even teenagers would have trouble with parts of this book.

This mail order bride story begins with a strange set of very sad events. Kathleen loses her whole family in a housefire. Destitute, she drops out of her last year of high school and becomes a cleaning woman. As predicted, the son of the millionaire family she works for falls madly in love with her over the strong objections of his snooty parents. A marriage and a child later, the parents accept everyone but Kathleen. Granddaughter Meggie is the apple of their eyes, and when Peter is killed violently, they determine to take their granddaughter away from her mother. They and their money succeed with the use of bribes to the judge. They arrange for Kathleen to have none of Peter's funds and she is forced out of her home and into poverty and loses her child as well. Heartbroken and destitute, Kathleen moves to a room and works for several people, living in pure squalor. Meantime the snooty, rich conniving parents have Meggie. Devastated, grieving and worn out, Kathleen learns of a mail order bride ad, and she answers and finds herself traveling from Chicago to Nevada to become the bride of a gold miner just getting started. However, he has a small son Caleb, who needs a mother. While Kathleen is a loving mother, this makes her miss Meggie even more and she is obsessed with getting enough funds to fight her wealthy ex-inlaws for custody. God blesses the efforts of her husband, and within months they are millionaires and have the funds to fight. What they find when they return to Chicago contains huge surprises, a few teary moments, and the reader will understand this is, indeed a different ending to another book in the series of Mail Order Brides. Thanks Lacys for another page turner.

Personally, when I read a fiction book, I like to be able to believe that the people and events in the book COULD be true even though I know it is fiction. This book was a big disappointment in that respect. I really don't recommend reading it if you want to read really good historical fiction.

First of all, the authors took way too long to develop the background of the story; the background actually ended up being a detraction rather than a support for the plot, because later the authors had to make up for lost time by rushing through the really important parts.

Second, I agree with the reviewer who said that putting Mrs. O'Leary in the book was stretching it a bit. I think the book would have been better if the authors were content to use a historical setting, instead of going all out like they did and trying to put famous people in as buddies of the main characters.

The third, and most annoying, reason that this book is not exactly believable, enjoyable Christian fiction is that the characters are not at all consistent. I feel that not only did the authors not stop to figure out just how their characters' personalities should be, they also tried to write about individuals and classes of people they don't know much about. For instance, take the rich and snobbish Maria Stallworth. When Kathleen is looking for a job, Maria warmly takes her in, goes above and beyond the call of duty to help her, and even calls Kathleen "dear." Definitely a sweet and charming lady! But, when she gets mad at Kathleen later, she turns into a cold, cruel, sneering snob- and pretty much stays that way for the rest of the book. Talk about erratic! No, the characters really aren't well developed at all, and therefore it is difficult to really like any of them.

This is really only a good book if you want a light read to pass the time, and nothing else will do. For that purpose, it is amusing enough. But I don't recommend it for someone looking for interesting, believable Christian fiction.

I am from Egypt where Islam advocates 0% interest and approves of no tax other than 2.5% of one's annual SAVINGS. This tax - called Zakat - is given only to the needy, the poor, the orphan etc., as the Koran instructs. As for the government members they have only 1/8th of the Zakat fund to live on. This book systematically gets me closer to the American dream of 2.5% tax. Just for the fun of it, since this system encourages financial growth and forces the government to regulate thereby getting their share of 1/8th of tax, Omar, a Muslim caliph could not find a poor class of person to whom he could distribute the Zakat!

P.S. Nevada Corp does NOT need you to be in US

Thanks Ahmad

What a waste of time, effort and money

This book was scanty on content. Much of it was promoting his agent services in Nevada. I feel I have to get another book to be able to do this.

I have wanted to move my company out of L.A. for so long & didn't know where to start & then I purchased Incorporating in Nevada & it answered all my questions & gave me the forms and guidance I needed to move my business and incorporate in Nevada. This book is very reasonably priced & saved me a great deal of money in the long run. DON'T PASS IT UP!!!!

I really did expect a complete incorporation kit with all the things I'm used to getting like fill-in-the-blanks Articles of Incorporation, Stock Certificates, and a Stock Transfer Ledger. The real complete "corporate kit" is for sale on the last page of the book for another $79. The step-by-step guide repeatedly guides readers to the services of Nevada Corporate Headquarters, Inc., owned by Cort W. Christie. The book also neglects to say anything about the complications involved in getting your profits into your pocket without running into trouble or paying the same taxes you would normally have to pay in you home state. I was sorely disappointed.

Las Vegas Babylon is an excellent peek at the "real" Vegas. It is loaded with fun stories that you won't find anywhere else. What's amazing is the horrible editing job done by the publisher. There are factual, grammatical and spelling errors that should have been caught before publication. Jeff Burbank has done a fine job here, but has been let down by his publisher.

EXCELLENT BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT LAS VEGAS AND THE EARLY PIONEERS. WAS VERY VERY FASCINATING IN THE BEGINNING. THEN WENT TO THE POLITICAL SCENE WHICH BECAME VERY BORING AND UN-INTERESTING. THEN IT PICKS UP AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT THE STARS. THE CONCLUSION WAS ALMOST LIKE AN AD FOR THE NEWSPAPERS. HOWEVER, WITH ALL THIS SAID, WAS VERY INTERESTING, INFOMATIVE BOOK. A GOOD READ. I ONLY WISH THE AUTHOR WOULD HAVE GONE MORE IN DEPTH ABOUT THE EARLY AND LATER PERSONALITIES RATHER THAN THE POLITICAL FORUM THAT HE WROTE.COULD HAVE BEEN AN EASY 5 STAR. BUT I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN.

The stories presented in this cynical, hasty book could have happened anywhere--what does this have to do with Las Vegas? So the mob was involved in Las Vegas--so what? That topic is covered thoroughly in other, better-written books. So casino execs care more about the bottom line than about their customers--is that news? Also, how many times can the author describe casino partons as "losers" and "suckers"? The author then shares bawdy stories of unruly celebs, their sexual obscurities, etc. The author relishes sharing the naughty side of celebrities and politicians but then adopts a high-road attitude as if he's disgusted by them (and by Las Vegas as a whole). Tabloid journalism just to sell some books? Well, whatever sells, I suppose.

Many of the vingettes the author includes in this mess have nothing to do with Las Vegas except that the city is where the story happened to take place. The casinos, desert, history, etc. of Las Vegas has nothing to do with many of the chapters.

As if the negative tone wasn't enough to prevent people from trodding through this sensationalized tripe, there's roughly 90 typos, grammatical errors, broken sentences, etc. in this book. Maybe next time some of the money spent on the dust jacket design could be diverted to hiring a proof-reader? I'm not exaggerating, by the way. During certain chapters the errors can be found as frequently as every other page.

What a waste of time. There's only about 20 other books on Las Vegas that I would recommend before this. Then again if you're hard up for mean, amateurish, and irrelevant writing, this book might be just what you're looking for.

I found the book very intersting and a quick read since it was split into many short chapters of all sorts of interesting characters and events. Not sure who, if anyone, proof read it though. There are numerous grammatical errors and several incidents where it seems little mistakes were overlooked. For instance it said Tony Spilotro started his fifteen year Vegas career in 1986 (thats when it ended) and said Wynn Las Vegas was the most expensive casino ever built at the time (2.7 million? Maybe billion!?) Overlooking the minor details it is a good book with lots of interesting stories for the novice Vegas reader. Recommend it. Good one for the flight to Vegas.

While not the worse book on Sin City, the glaring omission of Vegas' most famous resident is unforgiveable. Reduced to little more than a footnote by the author, its unfathomable that Howard R. Hughes, Jr. would not have at least 2 chapters devoted to his Vegas footprint.

Rather than move out of the Desert Inn, Hughes bought it! Hughes didn't even want to move down one floor with no charge for 6 months (ask the author why). With more than a half billion dollars in windfall cash from the TWA judgement, Hughes treated the Vegas Strip like his own personal monopoly board. Even beyond the feat of personally owning more casinos (5 or 6) than any other human on earth, the man NEVER, I repeat, NEVER appeared before the Nevada Gaming Commission (a requirement by law for everbody else but him?). Never mind that he tried to derail the Atomic Energy Commission from testing bombs 90 miles outside Vegas'! He swore out he could feel the earth shaking. Of course, when $100,000 of your money finds its way to 1600 Penn Ave., wouldn't you ask a favor, too?

Hughes never set foot in his casinos - he never even set foot on Las Vegas Blvd. In fact, Howard R. Hughes, Jr. never set foot on Nevada soil. He rolled into, and out of, town by private railcar; his Mormon aides carried him by stretcher into, and out of, the Desert Inn penthouse. Howard R. Hughes bought numerous casinos from known mobsters (Big Bob Maheu was the face of HRH), all from the 'comfort' of the blacked-out penthouse he occupied the years he was in Vegas'. The man NEVER saw the Vegas sun.

The fact that Mr. Burbank omits each and every one of these 'minor details' is appalling in a book entitled Las Vegas Babylon. It's like leaving Al Capone out of 'Windy City Babylon', or leaving Alfred P. Sloan out of a book on GM. This major omission is a cardinal sin for someone supposedly a journalist. Glad I only paid...

Okay, my headline is a bit harsh, but I expect a little more from a travel guide of this region. This book is a little campy and its fair to say that travelers over a certain age group will revel in its tales of highway adventure. I'm of a tougher crowd and think the book fell short in its attempt to convey the true glory of coastal California and the desert byways. I read the book feeling like my dad was with me on a trip, driving us to places to see, but not experience. Two and a half stars would be most fair.
Review every book you read- authors deserve your opinions, not just elitist critics.

This is an invaluable guide for tourists (and even some natives) who rarely venture beyond the familiar and sometimes very busy tourist traps and destinations. I myself am familiar with areas such as Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties, the backcountry behind San Diego including Julian and the Borrego desert, and the Central Valley from Sacramento to Bakersfield, and have spent some enjoyable times in these places. Don and Betty Martin have obviously visited these areas often amd done their research.

I got this book mainly to see about the areas up where I live in the San Bernardino Mountains in California. I have two major complaints. 1. The so-called "tours" that you would be hard-pressed to spend a day doing each one, much less a week like the authors claim; if you really tried, you might be able to stretch them out to two days if you stayed overnight somewhere. 2. Obviously, the authors have not bothered to visit their own "tours" on a regular basis to make sure they are still relevant and valid, and not obsolete. For example, in Crestline, California, they list The Cliffhanger as a good place to eat and that you must stop there. Well I have news for the authors: this establishment has been out of business for years and years and has been constantly so and up for sale even and is totally vacant; and had been for years and years when the book was last published also. So unless they want to buy it for muchas dinero and remodel and restock it and turn it back into a fully-functional restaurant and business again (or you do), it is not a good place to eat, because it is still totally empty, and it is known as a cultural landmark up here to the locals. :P Basically, the whole book is laden with information like this. So even if that is the way it was back in the 1970's, the authors need to update their book and do a complete rewrite which means retraveling all of the routes and taking notes of the changes, and writing new stuff also to make the tours more complete. This could be a very good book with lots of value and merit, but it has to be kept current and also to have more options and stops in the "tours" than just a handful of "attractions". The authors seem like really nice people, they just have to be more earnest if they are going to write a traveling book for ~others~, otherwise their readers might just really end up chasing ghost dogs. 2/10

This is a guide to 21 road trips in California and 4 in Nevada. I've now taken a number of the backroads described in this book. There are some excellent suggestions for getting away from the interstates and finding the true character of these two states. The Martin's have a folksy style that I enjoyed. They didn't include much info about the scenery in between but mainly rundowns of the main cities along the way and places to eat and sleep. They really keep to the basics here. For example the section on "The Silver Trail" from Las Vegas to Virginia city is only 14 pages for a trip covering 443 miles. This book is a good starting point to get ideas for road excursions, but if you're going to spend any length of time on one of these trips I'd recommend getting further material before setting out.

I never thought a book could have so much information about how to get around to different places. The authors know what they are talking. They have researched all information that is in the book and now I can travel and see that I have been missing. Thank you for a great book.

I love the series and so far I did enjoy the books especially the ones set in Las Vegas as there seemed to be a consistency between the books and the TV series. This book however was a disappointment for the following reasons:

- Inconsistencies with the series. The team still is split into two units with Catherine leading the swing shift and Grissom the night shift. Time wise that doesn't work with the fact that Warrick is getting a divorce and the fact that in 'In Extremis' the team was already together again.

- If the team is still split, why is Nick working with Greg? Again inconsistent.

- The case was boring.

In short for me this was the least pleasing of all the books, which is a pity because I loved books like 'Cold burn' and 'In Extremis'.

I've read quite a few CSI books and my personal observation is the following. I like the original CSI tv series, but not the novelisation of CSI.

Consversely, I never liked the tv series of the two spin offs- CSI Miami and CSI NY, but I do like their novels.

And so I'm sure you have guessed I didnt like CSI Nevada Rose much.

It's hard for me to pin down why exactly I feel this way. There were a couple of crimes which required the usualy high level of techinical expertise to untangle. However, I didnt feel there was any great character development, tension in the plots, danger to any of the main characters or any spark.

The one thing I found nice was the revelation at the end which gave the basball player his alibi. It's a spolier, so I would say anymore, but I liked it.

The good:

1. Main characters written behaving consistently with the tv series.

The Not So Good:

1. Kinda boring and short.

The horrible:

- nothing worth mentioning.

Thanks for reading and I hope it helps a little :)

I'm a huge CSI fan, whether it is on TV, in novels, or graphic novels. I also enjoyed Preisler's work in his "Tom Clancy" series, so I was happy when the Amazon box containing this book showed up and sat down to start reading."Nevada Rose", as is typical of CSI episodes and books, follows two investigations. Both cases are interesting and the stories keep you reading; however, the CSIs in the book don't "feel" like the characters in the show or even in the other CSI novels -- there's just something a little "off" in the characterizations for me.

Like another reader, I bought this as a reader of Preisler's Power Plays series, but have a much higher opinion of this book. Maybe because I've watched the show but never read the other novels,I had a clean slate going in. Whatever the reason, I thought the characterizations were right on and the dialog was crisp. There are small moments that reveal the "ghosts" these characters carry around--the scene with Sara in the campus quad, the one when Grissom thinks about religion, a couple with the non-CSI characters in the book. They gave me chills.

I purchased this title because I had read many other of the CSI tie in novels and enjoyed them very much. This one was a disappointment. The plot was o.k., but the writing style was uneven and choppy. Many times tenses changed from one paragraph to the next, some sentences had an article missing or a pronoun deleted. The case for the author trying to write it as common speech could be made---if he had done a better job of it. All together it made for a very awkward read. I think this title (and author) could have used some serious editing. Try the CSI novels by Max Allen Collins or Donn Cortez instead.....

This book gives you almost no taste of what the show is like. It is a collection of beautiful but artsy fartsy pictures, capturing the photographers style rather than this amazing show. The bad poetry dramatically inserted as captions to the pictures continues the slightly pretensious path the book took.

there are only TWO PAGES at the end of the book devoted to writing about the actual show. For a show that is completely groundbreaking and unique, that is far too little. It is almost all text that is available at the cirque site (an excelent site, as opposed to this book)

To see what this book could have been, take a look at the book of "Pride Rock on Broadway: Julie Taymor's The Lion King". This is a book about an amazing, one- of- a- kind show, packed with quotes from the creators, concept drawings, beautiful photographs, ideas that were cut, technical diagrams and explanations of problems that arose during production and how the team solved them. It is a book that any person, and *especially* a theater person from any discipline would love. That is the kind of book that this could have been, and it isn't.

If you want an artsy collection of photographs, this is for you. Otherwise, wait till you get a chance to actually see the show - it will be worth it!

While the pictures in here are quite good (not fantastic), that's mostly what the book is all about. Pictures. There's no story behind each of them. It's quite pricey for pictures. I'd wait a while until it comes down in price. As for the show? It's the best show you will ever see in your lifetime. Trust me. I've seen a show or two before, and this is something special.

This book appears as if ALL the photographs in it will be as outstanding as the cover picture but this is quite deceiving.

Considering the quality of the show, price of the book, etc... much more effort and professionalism should have been put into the photography.

Very disappointing with a handful of good photographs towards the end of the book.

I have just recived this book, and if you have ever seen "o" at The Bellagio and loved it and want good memories of it, this is the book you want! Buy this book if you love Cirque Du Soleil! I have seen the show 3 times and this a book of high quaility pictures taken from the show! Thanks

I just saw the water-themed "O" by Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio in Las Vegas mere days ago and was utterly spellbound by the otherwordly experience. Afterwards I decided to check out the souvenir shop and perused this book there. What I found inside were a bunch of lack-luster photographs taken from the spectacular performance, but none of them actually capture the magic of seeing it happen before your very eyes, and what a marvel it is to behold upclose!

In short, these images don't do the production justice! I would not recommend this to anyone who's considering buying tickets for the continuously sold-out "O" and would like to get a taste of what your in for because this may disgcourage you, and that would be a crying shame. Just trust in all the people that have raved about how amazing the show is and buy this simply as memorabilia.

Every play needs its actors, and someone has to sweep up the hall as well. Littlejohn says that they didn't seek to focus on the negatives, but the result is that while Las Vegas may be the fastest growing city in America, both in jobs and population; it doesn't sound that appealing other than as a place to visit.

Most of the reports are glum, and sometimes downright disheartening. Sure, many cities have these problems, but most of them try to do something about it. In Vegas, if it negatively affects the Industry, then it is either ignored or swept under the carpet. It puts a dull finish on what is otherwise presented as a glittering jewel.

The Real Las Vegas is written by a retired profesor from Berkley who, after loosing two rolls of quarters at a strip casino, is bent on teachinng the rest of us how "evil" Las Vegas really is. Among the more "enlightened" things that we simple minded people would never know about this city are: Seniors like to play BINGO. Some teens growing up in Las Vegas drink and get into trouble - some even have children before they are married! The local police department protect tourists downtown and on the strip! (Can you just imagine that?). Casinos have their own private security force, and money flows free and easy! The education system of this city (and it must be only this city) is over-crowded and under funded, and there are less expensive, and faster growing southwestern cities than Las Vegas! The book is simply not helpful and not interesting given all of the maladies this author cites are around "In spades" if you will, in other cities. I am not sure what is so Real about this book, except that it is clear this man wants his two rolls of quarters back.

It seems from the reviews that some people were disappointed by this book, but I really enjoyed reading the various essays. The book is a series of journalistic essays from different writers, and each one writes for about 5-7 pages on a specific topic. Some of the topics the book covers are housing/development, water, the sex industry, African Americans in Vegas, crime, growing up in Vegas, etc. Some of the essays were more serious (water) than others (sex industry), but all of them offered a nice insight into the city, especially if you've only been there a few times and have never ventured beyond the strip. I read this book a few months before moving to Henderson, NV., and thought the book was a nice way to get acquainted with the city and what goes on there. This is definitely not a book for tourists or someone planning a trip to Vegas, but more for people who live in the area, people considering moving there, or perhaps people who have visited and developed an interest in the area. It's an easy read, and an enjoyable one.

This book is primarily written by a handful of contributors, mainly journalists and edited by a seasoned journalist and former journalism professor at the University of California-Berkeley. Because of the number of authors, the quality of the chapters vary, but in general, this was a very noble effort and a well-thought out and implemented project. The idea, according to the editor, was to demystify the resort destination and to look at it as a real, although unique American city.
The introduction by the editor is excellent, as is his epilogue, synthesizing and analyzing the content of the book.
The chapters in between discuss various aspects of the city, the educational system, the plight of the homeless, the large population of hispanic immigrant workers, the casino and sex "industries", the scarce water supply, etc. The book also attempts to discuss such things as the special characteristics of Nevadans.
Many of these chapters are very well written, and are all very easy to read. Some of the authors tend to fall into a pattern that I find particularly troublesome about, in particular, television journalism. The author is looking to make a point (for example, there are a lot of kids in the Clark County School District who use drugs). So, they interview and present the most shocking results from their interviews regarding what a few kids say about their drug use. Never mind the fact that one could have probably obtained similar comments from some kids in any other city. Reading the chapter on the schools, I would think that it is impossible to grow up in Las Vegas and to be a good kid and not drop out and go onto college. However, quite on the contrary, over the last 4 years that I have lived in this city, I have interviewed 30+ high school seniors on behalf of my alma mater on the East Coast. I have met kids who are outstanding students, have some of the highest test scores in the nation, are deeply involved in athletics, music, and community service and have never touched a drug and don't regularly hang out on the strip.
It is very difficult, I believe, as a visitor, to get a true picture of this city. The tourism economy actively attempts to create and maintain the atmosphere of "anything goes" "have fun and drink and gamble and do whatever you want" for the tourists. However, as the editor astutely notes, beyond the strip, "many conditions recorded in this book will be recognized by Americans from other states and cities..."

Beyond some of the shortcomings, this is a very well-done work. Some of the authors spent a great deal of time locally researching their work. The introspective thoughts by the editor really pull it together. As a resident, I find this book helps me to get some critical distance to evaluate the city in which I live. My only fear is that for someone not familiar with the city, the work of some of the authors may paint a uncharacteristically negative picture in some cases that does not give Las Vegas the proper perspective in these problems relative to other places.

Having spent at least 1 week a year in Las Vegas since 1960, the scope and breadth of the "Real Las Vegas" was rewardingly real, and suprisingly interesting and very readible. Staying at the Sands Hotel in the sixties with my family and - the obvious metamorphousis of a few casinos in the desert to what is is today is a marvel and wonder. The 2 reviewers listed seemed to be looking for some explanation or reason for the diversity of L.V.. Answers. Answers - You won't find any here. The stories and straight up, direct, and frank. Real investigative insight into some of the many facets of life in Las Vegas. What I really liked about this book is it's about real people, with real dreams and disapointments. It's about a city that's grown too fast, under the stewardship of gaming, sex and power. It's about the extremes. Las Vegas is a wonderful metephore for the United States society - some are just turned off the the brash and brazen display of human nature Las Vegas encourages. You won't like all the stories, but you will find some very moving people and issues. The introduction is 1 of the best sections in the book. They had to leave out many sories because of space. I hope there's another volumn.