Las Vegas Books

I live 3 hours away from Las Vegas and never go because of my kids. I went recently to meet a relative for the weekend and fell in love with the city! Now I cant wait to take my kids...Ive booked a room for 3 nights in March and am looking forward to getting this book...I have the one for Southern California and use it all the time!

We bought this book last summer when we took our two sons to Las Vegas. The guide was very helpful, it gives lots of detailed info such as parking, prices, hours of operation, and numbers to contact. My only "complaint" would be that it is almost TOO much information, they have so many things listed, lots of off beat places, that if you are going there for a short time (like we were) and want to hit just the "big" places, you have to weed through a lot of information to get it. They should have it organized better. But it is definatly worth getting.

This book does a decent job of just mentioning a bunch of facts, but I found that other similar books such as Open Road Publishing's "Las Vegas with Kids" 2nd edition or even Frommer's book with the same title do a better overall job. One problem is that the edition that I received (last week) was published in 1999. The kid friendly aspects of Vegas has changed since then. Some hotels are no longer kid friendly (by choice). For example, the book speaks of the MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park as an awesome place, but it closed back in 2000. Also, the other mentioned books seem to give more advice about WHAT to do rather that just listing everything that's available. I want to know what to do and what to skip. I want advice, not just a listing of all available destinations. A chapter on suggested itineraries would have been nice. After buying this book, I found that I needed to supplement it with the other Vegas with Kids travel books.

Great insights into a potentially overwhelming city! It was almost like I was there with Carol, at times! Call me a Stout-groupie! Great book! Great author!

I fail to see how anyone could say this book is great. First of all if you live in Las Vegas like I do chances are the you already know the 10 things there are to do with kids here. Secondly many of the attactions are closed or have changes, the TI show is not as kid friendly as it once was, and the arcade as well as wet and wild have closed! Save your money and call the chamber of commerce they will give you all the information in this book for free!

We forgot to bring it along on the trip, but still utilized it for many searches and planning before the trip. we will definitely bring it with on out next Vegas experience!

This book lists the Tropicana as the #2 hotel after all the big themed hotels. I chose the Tropicana over two other hotels based on this book's rating, since I've had luck with these Top 10 guides for other cities like Cancun, San Fran, and Seattle. This book is a bit outdated, but even a couple of years back, the Tropicana couldn't have deserved to be #2. In fact, I would rate it #2 on the list of the worst hotels I've ever stayed in.

We booked a Garden room, but they put us in a Tower room at first. The hallways were dark, with peeling wallpaper and damaged wood trim. The elevators had poorly-painted pictures on the door with the paint peeling off. Our non-smoking room smelled of smoke and we couldn't get the window open, so we called the desk and they sent someone to spray it down, adding more of whatever odor was already attempting to cover the cigarette stench. We went back to the desk and got the Garden room we had paid for, which was a step up, but not far up. I had to pick the toilet seat up off of the bathroom floor and reattach it. The hot water in the bathtub wouldn't completely turn off. The air wasn't turning on, so I opened the balcony door, kicking over a half-empty beer can as I stepped out. Our departing flight got canceled and we had to stay an extra night, so we booked a hotel that was luxurious in comparison to the Tropicana - the Comfort Inn!

This book is great for anyone who hasn't been to Las Vegas in awhile. It gives you good insight into the new hotels and attractions. The book also gives you a low down on the best places to go to eat, people watch and party !

I am planning to go to Las Vegas and so I bought this book. This is really useful. I especially like the photos and they make me more looking forward to my trip. Of course, since this is a pocket book, you cannot expect too much detail from it. However, this is more than enough for me who is going for a 5- to 6-day trip.

It was a good book with a great list of top 10 things but the problem is that the times and stuff in the book are way outdated. Don't use this book to go by the times that the hotels do their performaces. It does help to rate places well but I was pretty disappointed in the information. I would suggest you get the 2006 guide to vegas because it is a lot more helpful.

I am with one of the Poster,s that The LP Travel Books is the best Travel Books written nowadays. What I like best is the Road Maps at the end of this book for those who go to Las Vegas by Motor Vehicle.

This is one of the smaller books I own on Vegas, which makes it perfect for toting in a pocketbook or backpack. It has some great photographs in it, and the tabbed format makes it easy to skim through and find what you're looking for. Of course, because it's on the slim side, this does NOT have thorough information on all of the hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc. that can be found in Vegas. So keep that in mind.

This is great to carry with you as you wander around Vegas. It has the numbers of cab companies. It has the highlights of each casino so you can know what to look for. It has notes on restaurants, in case you don't have a particular one in mind and find yourself hungry. Most of the information is pretty generic - hours of operation, dress guidelines, quick descriptions. This isn't a massive tome. It's a pocket book. It gives you what you need to get where you're going.

While I have other Vegas books that are invaluable for actually choosing hotels and main restaurants, they are too big to actually carry with me on the strip. This book fills in that great niche, to have a reference guide with you as you go walking, to make decisions as you go.

I've always preferred Lonely Planet guides when I travel. I wasn't disappointed with the new LP Las Vegas guide. It gives you pretty much all the information you need for a good vacation in Vegas. Best of all, it's a nice portable size. I was able to keep it in my purse the whole time and whip it out at a moment's notice. Despite the good coverage of information in this guide, it doesn't go as in depth as the Frommer's guide, which is probably a better guide for planning your vacation before you leave, while the LP guide is good for traveling around the city.

I have always preferred LP travel guides to any other guide. The been-there-done-that pithy writing style, combined with coverage of the off-the-beaten-path areas make my vacations (or business trips) memorable.

However, this one stands apart from the other LP travel guides. This guide is only 232 pages, about the size of a novella. Missing are the cheap eats, some transportation information, and the typical insider's insights.

Reading the information, I got the feeling that this was less of an insider's guide, and more of a condensation of the visitors guides published by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

As a result, I was somewhat disappointed by this one. Still, it is on par with the other travel guides on Las Vegas, just not up to the LP standards.

While this Lonely Planet Guide is a decent enough guide filled with the "usual suspect" type of attractions, hotel and restaurant info, I must agree with "A Reader from Long Island" (Australian comment aside) that this guide is disappointing. Yes, it seems well researched regarding some of the historical aspects of the area... (but who really gets a travel guide for a history lesson?) However if you are a frequent traveller to Vegas like myself you'll do better with a more off-the-beaten-path guide such as the "Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas." I mean really, to list chain establishments that are pretty much nationwide such as Applebee's and Krispy Kreme as "Killer Vegas Eateries" does no one a service and shows a lack of imagination. Give us a real taste of Sin City! Hey Avant Guide, when are you gonna hit the Strip and show us something new and exciting?

While I read this book cover to cover it is no longer a complete guide. The most modern vampire listed is from Anne Rice's novels. The pictures are wonderful, but the book is at the level of bar trivia.

this book is cute; it's a bit oversized to be taken seriously (since all books with any merit are of average shelf size, if they are not encyclopedias). the background of the pages make it appear a bit cartooney; but the text isn't at all. this is a very informative book if you can get past the corny attempt to make the book look more lively and colorful, you'll find a pretty detailed beginner's guide to vampires.

This is a great book on vampires, especially if you are just starting. It gives you just enough information without bombarding you.

This is a great book and I've actually purchased it twice! This is a must have for anyone interested in vampires and vampire myths. Telling the stories and investigations of vampires this book gives you a good insight on what is true or not, yet in the end wondering if vampires really do exist or if they have only been in our imaginations all along.

This was a very good book, expecially for begining vampire fanatics. Many of the basics are here, including suggestions for futher reading, in novels at least. The pictures are great. The Countess Bathory part is not accurate, and the Vlad Dracula part isn't wholly accurate either. Don't use this as your only guide. This is really a good place to start, and the pictures in them selves are worth it.

Before heading out to Vegas, I read every Vegas guidebook on the local bookshelf. This one was different and useful. It named a number of off-beat and off-Strip locales overlooked by many of the other guides, places I might have missed. The author was more candid and opinionated than most, making the book useful and entertaining. You should purchase this book even if you find you do also have to purchase one of the larger, more mainstream guides for completeness.

this book was helpful only because it was the most recent book printed i could locate(and still not new enough). It is no better than any other book on las vegas i have read (which is about 4). i do like the size and shape however and the print is easy to look at. much of the information is repeated throughout the book 2 or 3 times as it is nicely cross-referenced.

I found this book pretty annoying. On the one hand, it gives a good overview of vegas and some interesting facts. But trying to use it while we were there, we found it almost never gave enough information to be useful. In particular, we tried to use the guide to find restaurants, and found the one-sentence-long reviews of restaurants severely lacking. If anything they sound like advertisements. Here's a random example: "At Samba Brazilian Steakhouse, skewered rotisserie meats are roasted over coals at the open kitchen, then carved table side with machete-like knives." That's the complete treatment of that restuarant! OK, so at a steak house they roast meats -- duh! Are they any good? Should I go there? Is it better than anywhere else? Is it expensive? This information is very typical of the level of detail in the book.

The book is more clever and more hip than the typical travel guides. My only complaint is than there are parts that get redundant when the same place has been reviewed by three critics that give the same information again and again only with a slightly different spin. Better editing could have resolved that problem.

This book is the only book I've seen on Vegas that intelligently asserts that the reader knows that there's kitsch is in Vegas as well as the writers. There is a down-to-earth style about this book which was refreshing after reading other travel books about Vegas that feel like they were written by shills for the casinos.

Las Vegas has never been a place that should be taken seriously in the least!

I liked this book considerably more than the usual tourist guide.

A wealth of info presented from a fresh and cheeky point of view. Jordan Simon clues you in to what Vegas' many promoters don't want you to know, but don't get the idea that this "Irreverent Guide" exists solely to take potshots at the excess that is the essence of Vegas' singular charm; the writer duly awards praise where he thinks praise is warranted. As it happens, I personally have not been to Vegas in about 30 years, but Simon's style pulled me in immediately and I have no doubt his offbeat guide will prove very useful when I do visit.

I have a couple of small quibbles - the info could be presented in more of an outline, organized form, but that's really a minor complaint, as the hip narrative style is very entertaining; and I'd love some photos, but one can get all the Las Vegas one could ever want various places online. If your preferences tend towards the unconventional, this is the Las Vegas guide to get.

Granted...The Secret is a pile of poo....but this book has great advice. If you are not big on reading books that are full of stats and want to be entertained while getting some good advice at what to do at a blackjack table, then this book does the trick. It is young and hip.....not boring. for me that is always key.

anyone who has read other blackjack theory books should agree that "Hollywood Blackjack" is a refreshing change. i can think of other books that give similar information, but staring at charts is just not how i learn. dave also gives a glimpse in to a world of gambling that is what every aspiring gambler hopes to experience. it is great to know that the dream is still alive. and somewhere in another weird world, hunter thompson is surely proud.

Sure there are numerous books teaching one how to play blackjack. Hollywood Blackjack is fresh and provides the reader with time-tested winning strategies, but in a clear, easy-to-follow manner tailored for today's casino environment. In his entertaining style, Hollywood Dave shares his recent experiences in beating the casinos. While we are treated to a primer on tournament play, Dave tells us about some of his tournament experiences. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book is Great! Of all of the blackjack books over the years (and you know the names...Uston, Revere, Wong, etc.) this is the first to present detailed information and strategy that's both fun and easy to read. Not just basic strategy, mind you (although it's there, too), but "camouflage" techniques and other details so important to ... how shall I say this ... advanced play. I was pleasantly surprised and this book is now #1 on my stack of well-read and highly earmarked blackjack books.

I purchased this book for information on playing blackjack tournaments. There is a brief 14 page chapter on blackjack tournaments. The chapter starts off saying that this book is not going to teach you anything about how to win a blackjack tournament, and to go "suck on it." Unfortunately, this information was not available in the advertisement for this book.

Much of the rest of the book rehashes old strategies including Basic Strategy and card counting using the High - Low system that are covered in Stanford Wong's "Professional Blackjack" book and elsewhere.

Not that great. A far better read is "Sun, Sin And Suburbia: An Essential History Of Modern Las Vegas" by Geoff Schumacher.

When I first saw this book, I wondered--was there really an interesting history of casinos? I usually read about weightier historical topics (Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, for instance), but every time I go to Vegas I'm struck by how the entire place seemed to have been built in the last five years.

So, seeing the generally positive reviews (and checking out the author's website which is quite interesting), I ordered a copy. I was expecting a fairly dense read--the author is a professional historian--but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get into.

There is a lot of great information about Vegas history in here, as well as Atlantic City, and a little on Indian casinos and riverboats too. I'd seen the movie Bugsy, but I had no idea that he wasn't the real founder of the Strip. Thanks to this book, I know now.

The author must have had a lot of fun writing this; even though it's a pretty serious book, there are some great one-liners in there. I actually laughed a few times.

The more I read, the more I realized there is to this topic, and I wish that the author had written more about Reno, for example, but for starters, this is a great introduction to the history of casinos, and a fun read. For anyone who's taken the trip to Vegas and wondered about where it came from, it's a welcome addition to your library.

Suburban Xanadu is a great book that really captures the history of Las Vegas. I took the class that was taught by Professor David Schwartz and it was well worth buying the book. I have had many of my friends and business colleagues read this book and they thought it was great. Suburban Xanadu is must read to truly understand Las Vegas past and how it all got started.

Don't be fooled. This is a purely pedantic and priggish book about Las Vegas. Not worth your time.

Any man that can write a book with a bright pink cover must be very secure in his masculinity.
Dr. Schwartz is also very secure in his knowledge of the "real" history of gambling, legalized or otherwise. Just when you think you know the truth, as it has been told for generations, here comes a maverick historian to turn your conceptions upside-down.
Seriously, does anyone have any respect for Senator McCarran before they read about his valiant battle to keep Nevada's peculiar peculiarity as peacefully peculiar as possible, without the wretched government interfering?
And would the world's FOREMOST AUTHORITY on gambling, Dr. William Eadington, make Dr. David Schwartz's book required reading for his class if it were not one of the leading texts on the subject?
His book is a true delight to read, and, as it is broken up into bite-sized sections with headings such as "The Californication of the casino resort" and "Requiem for a bootlegger", you can read a few pages and then ponder or nap without the guilt associated with reading only halfway through a chapter.
How's that for a review that sounds like it was poured straight from the fount of the commonfolk! Normal people DO read this kind of stuff too, so don't be afraid to crack it open!

Seems to cover a lot. Have never been to LV but this has been very informative and will come in handy for our first trip this summer.

IF YOUR THINKING OF GOING TO TO LAS VEGAS THIS IS THE NUMBER 1 BOOK TO BUY BEFORE YOU GO!!!!!

Yay! Finally a more comprehensive UNBIASED book on Vegas. The Unofficial Guide does not give every hotel a thumbs-up and rightly so. When we visit Vegas we want the real deal on places, like VegasADD.com or cheapov egas.com, not a fluffed-up description that looks like it was written by each hotel and restaurant.

I found this book to be a fairly good overview, but perhaps not as in-depth as I was hoping for. I have read many other Unofficial Guide books, and seem to prefer them among all the travel guides out there. The book is layed out well and easy to either read all the way through or just hunt for the information you are looking for. However, it was not as in-depth on some of the hotels and dining as I would have liked. It does have a great section on gambling that is perfect for beginners or those who have never had much luck. It tells you how to play it safe so that you don't lose your life's savings, as well as gives you tips on how to win at what you can. Basically its just practical and doesn't make you believe that its taught you some magic new way to win millions, which is really pretty rare in gambling advice. Overall, I would say that this book is perfect for anyone wanting to get a good overview of the city and all its available attractions, but perhaps not quite in-depth enough for the experienced traveler looking for insider information.

This book really wasn't as good as the other "Unofficial Guides" I've used. I thought the write ups about the hotels, shows and attractions were pretty good and very readable but there didn't really seem to be much "insiders" info. I feel like I could have gotten the write ups about the hotels, etc. from any other of the millions of travel books about LV but I wanted this one because I thought it would give us some inside scoop, which I didn't really feel it did. If you've used "The Unoffical Guide To Walt Disney World" you know it has these really great "touring plans" that weren't found in this book. It would be a great addition if they would like to make this book more useful.

the same thing kept happening on this show: hook ups, sex , and drinking. pretty predictable after a while. the book gave us backround info on brynn that the show never bothered to show cause they wanted to focus on the couples.

If your one of the millions of people who LOVED the real world las vegas then you MUST get this book! It tells what happened behind the scenes,why each person was cast,what their doing now, parts from their applications,love stuff,everything you need to know.Even about how people hated on them at bars and stuff for being on tv. Its a good book.And its THICK too! tons of pictures of Frank,Steven and Alton w/o shirts:)

I think its a great book because it is very interesting and you cant wait to see whats on the next page of the book.and this book is great for school i bring mine to school every day and read it also you can learn stuff like team work, las vegas, and learn to trust your team. So i give this book a five stars and two thumbs up.

AND REMEMBER TO BUY THIS BOOK THATS A MUST!!!!!!!

This Book is So Great K.M. Squires Does a Good Job in Telling about Each of the Cast Members of Real World Las Vegas Or How I Like to Say it "Slots Vegas". I Like Reading about Them and I Like Reading Their Applications As Well. Well!!!. I also Liked Raeding about Their opinions about Every Thing that went down. I Give this Book a 5 Because I Love The Real World Show!!!!!. I Do!

AS usual these books describe a lot of things that aren't shown in the episodes and let's you know how some of the roomates really felt about each other.

"To Dream...To Dare...To Win...." are the words inscribed in Latin on the gold medallion that Vito Nunziato finds as a teenager. Vito nearly drowns the day he discovers the medallion while snorkeling at the bottom of the sea off the Isola di Levanzo, across the Mediterranean Sea from Marsala. According to legend, the medallion was once owned by King Midas, and later by Julius Caesar.

Since the day of Vito's discovery, the mysterious medallion and the chain holding it have been his most prized possession. And each time he tells his young son Michele the story of how he found the medallion, Vito makes Michele promise that no matter what happens, he will never part with it until Michele can pass it on to his own son.

One sunny Sicilian day in 1975, Michele sneaks the medallion from his father's hiding place and plays with it in the barn while waiting for his mother to prepare lunch. But his childhood innocence comes crashing down that afternoon. In a hail of gunfire, he huddles in the barn in horror as his family and their farmhands are murdered. Cowering in a haystack, Michele clutches his father's prized medallion and prays that his own life will be spared.

Orphaned and afraid, Michele is raised by Don Luciano Scaglione, a powerful and rich Mafia boss. Growing up, Michele's most cherished possession is the medallion, which he wears around his neck as a reminder of his past --- and protection against harm. The words on the medallion propel him to excel academically and achieve great financial success, while dreaming of moving to America --- a country where he believes anything is possible.

After a bitter parting of ways with Don Scaglione as a result of a sour business deal, Michele arrives in America, determined to escape his painful past. With the assistance of corporate attorney Naomi Burns, he reinvents himself, changes his name to Michael Tiranno (the Tyrant) and settles in Las Vegas, Nevada. In Sin City, his grand vision of financing and constructing the elegant and luxurious Seven Sins Casino and Resort eclipses the glitz and glamour of other casinos on the Strip.

But all is not well in Sin City. Like Julius Caesar, Michael is an ambitious man --- and ambition is a grievous fault. In his rise to wealth, power and fame, he has made many ruthless and determined enemies. He also has endeared himself to loyal friends, most notably his strong-arm, killing-machine bodyguard, Alexander.

When simultaneous terrorist attacks explode across the desert landscape --- destroying several Las Vegas casinos and damaging The Seven Sins --- tourists, gamblers and high-rollers flee for safety. With the city's future in danger and his personal fortune at risk of ruin, Michael is convinced that the attack on the casino is personal.

Determined to discover the identity of the mastermind planning and bankrolling the attacks, Michael circles the globe --- and he returns to his humble beginnings in Sicily. In his quest for the truth, he uncovers secrets, conspiracies and vendettas.

In THE SEVEN SINS, acclaimed author Jon Land has created a rollercoaster-ride thriller with a flawed yet fascinating protagonist in Michael Tiranno, whose daredevil personality and single-minded ambition thrust him into a high-stakes world of greed, betrayal, revenge and murder. Hell-bent terrorists, cut-throat pirates, murderous vendettas, ancient medallions and blood-thirsty sharks --- in water and on land --- THE SEVEN SINS has it all. Land's gripping novel is a sizzling summer page-turner to devour while sunning on the beach. But while you're reading it, you might not want to think too much about the sharks.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Not only is Jon Land a gem of a person, he's a brilliant author as well. Michael Tiranno is a fabulous character who had me hooked from the beginning, and when it comes to scene and setting, nobody does it better than Jon Land. Tiranno's office is amazing. Truly unique. Once you start THE SEVEN SINS, you'll be hard pressed to put it down. Kudos, Mr. Land!

by Andrew Peterson

I have now read 24 of the 26 novels written by Jon Land (except for Dolphin Key and Hope Mountain), and I think this is one of his best books ever! It has been a few years since we have seen a new book by Mr. Land. He is one of the few authors whose books I collect in hardback. For most other authors I wait for their paperback versions, but not for a Jon Land novel.

On the cover of "The Seven Sins", Vince Flynn states "The Godfather reinvented for a new generation:. He is dead on with this statement.

Michael Tiranno lives up to this namesake "The Tyrant". I love this character and got involved in his life's story. But as I read along I slowly realized that there was a dark side indeed to Michael. You truly DO NOT WANT to cross the Tyrant. All the reviewers mention his lawyer (Naomi) helping Michael discover clues to unraveling the mystery, but no one mentions another great character, Alexander: Michael's bodyguard. Alexander's character is ONE BIG tough son of a gun. Ruthless, but loyal to Michael. I would love to read a novel featuring Alexander as the main character.

I waited for over 4 years to read another book by Jon Land and I was not disappointed. Welcome back Mr. Land, and I am looking forward to the next story in this series. How can you top this?

Whether you like THE SEVEN SINS depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a story with a complex plot and characterization, you will no doubt be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're looking for a fast-paced story with a lot of action and twists, this one isn't so bad.

The main character of THE SEVEN SINS is a casino mogul in Las Vegas with a secret past involving the mafia. Someone is trying to destroy his business and empire, and he spends most of the novel trying to find out who's behind the nefarious plot. As the story progresses, we learn more about the mogul's life history in a multitude of flashbacks.

THE SEVEN SINS is written like a James Patterson book, in that it resembles a fleshed out screenplay, where each scene gets its own chapter. It's pretty easy to read, and Land keeps most of the book pretty entertaining. Most of the characters border on cartoonish, but they are fun cartoons for the most part, especially the mafia don character who dominates the early scenes of the book.

One thing I really disliked about this book was the sheer number of flashback scenes, which prevent the present-day story from achieving any real momentum. Parts of this book read more like a biography than a story. Land also constantly jumps from character to character, and from time period to time period, which made it difficult for me to get absorbed in the story.

Overall, THE SEVEN SINS is passable entertainment, nothing more. Still, the storytelling is somehwat better than most of James Patterson's recent output, so fans of that author may want to give this one a try.

The book opens:

"The Aegean Sea, 74 B.C.

"'She's out there all right, Captain. Hiding from us.'

"Captain Ali-san Kubivaros returned the spyglass to his eye. . .."

Spyglass? 74 B.C?

I read another fifteen pages or so, but my mind kept returning to the spyglass; the first known practically functioning telescope is credited to the German-Dutch lensmaker Hans Lippershey in 1608.

I knew I'd never finish a book that started out this poorly, so I took it back to the library, thanking my lucky stars that I had not paid out good money for it.

Where oh where are the editors of yesteryear? Where oh where are the authors of yesteryear who would have known better than to create such a foolish anachronism?

This reminds me of another book I reviewed in which the author moved the White House to 1400 Pennsylvation Avenue, NW.


ARGH!!!!