3 comments about Bluegrass Days, Neon Nights: High Rolling With Happy Chandler's Wayward Son, Dan Chandler.

1. In John L. Smith's latest book, Bluegrass Days Neon Nights, he travels through the life of Las Vegas casino host Dan Chandler. The son of Kentucky Governor and Baseball Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler, Dan Chandler often joked that he started at the top and spent his life working his way to the middle. His rise or descent can be argued but as a casino host in Las Vegas Chandler led a riotous life filled with the greatest celebrities of politics, sports, music and movies.



2. I have never submitted a review, but feel compelled to do so after reading this book. I am a huge fan of John L. Smith's writings and have purchased and read every one. This book, however is NOT, repeat - NOT - written by him! In the preface, the real author, Dan Chandler, says this book is written in his (Chandler's) own words and, clearly this book is. It is not up to the usual very high standard of Smith. It is a rambling, name dropping, everybody loves me chronicle of Chandler's relationships with known personalities and leaves the reader with a sense of how important Chandler thinks he is (or was - he's dead now). If you even think this is a biography (or autobiography) of Chandler's life you are wrong. Even though he brags about being employed by Caesers Palace seven times and working several other casinos as a casino host, there is not one sentence about how he got fired and rehired seven times. He only wants people to know how many of the rich and famous were his "best friends" or in his words "my man ..." What Smith's role in the book is unclear, except to think that he somewhat edited Chandler's words. Very disappointing book "authored" by a great writer with a biting, humorous way with words. I will still by Smith's books, but this one is a stinker!



3. Great stories related by chandler of the vegas high roller comp system and the clebs he incountered.Do not miss.

2 comments about Beyond the Glimmering Lights: The Pride And Perseverance of African americans in Las Vegas.

1. I just finished reading Beyond the Glimmering Lights: The Pride And Perseverance of African americans in Las Vegas.
   
   Using memories of her Aunt Magnolia for structure, Ms. Geran paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be African American in Las Vegas between the periods of 1940s and the 1960s.
   
   As a fairly recent newbie to Las Vegas, this book provided a very interesting and insightful look at the history of African Americans in the area and the role they played in the shaping of an intergrated Las Vegas.
   
   It is a very easy read and I highly recommend it :)
   
   I eagerly await the next book by Trish Geran.



2. Beyond the Glimmering Lights is a very unique book that takes a look into the segregated past of Las Vegas. Author Trish Geran shows through the experiences of her Aunt Magnolia that there is more to Las Vegas than the bright lights. A wonderful read that show the perseverance of the African American community. Through the brilliant efforts of celebrities such as Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker and the general community they were able to tear down the racial boundaries and helped shape America's playground.

5 comments about Nevada Yesterdays: Short Looks at Las Vegas History.

1. frank wright's 'nevada yesterdays' is a wonderful book, full of short historical essays on our much misunderstood state. wright was a good man, a good historian, and a good writer--his book reflects all these qualities. i wish i'd written it. i wish i could have!



2. "Nevada Yesterdays" provides a new look at Las Vegas history, from debunking the myth of Bugsy Siegel as the town's founder, to uncovering the colorful characters such as Sheriff Sam Gay, who was fired for the first time in 1910 for taking prisoners from the sweltering tin jail and tying them to a shady tree by the creek. Other gems include stories about the marriage of "Whataman" Hudson and Ma Kennedy; Tony Cornero, who built several casino and died at the craps table; the coming of Howard Hughes and what it did for Las Vegas; and much more. The pieces are filled with humor, unexpected details and above all, solid historical facts. A must read!



3. Finally a Las Vegas history book for everyone! Frank Wright's "Nevada Yesterday's" is the history of Las Vegas publication, that reads as if "U.S.A. Today" newspaper had commissioned the book.
   
   Educational and entertaining reporting of the big stories from Las Vegas's past, the book reads well with great photography and graphics.
   
   I really enjoyed the world timeline segments, that put Las Vegas history into a larger perspective.
   
   One of the greatest services "Nevada Yesreday's" provides the reader is the contrast between the myth-Las Vegas and the REAL history that is often better than the Hollywood version.



4. For many years the late Frank Wright entertained the people of Las Vegas with his stories of early Nevada. For the first time his stories have been put together in Nevada Yesterdays, from the story of Whiskey Pete to the fairy tale character of the elusive nude Eve of Paradise Valley. A wonderful compilation of his beloved radio shows, Nevada Yesterdays brings the history of America's most original town to life.



5. Being a native Las Vegas, I knew Frank Wright very well.
   We worked together on many historic preservation projects.
   He has done a fine job in telling many classic stories and also some little known facts and stories.
   A "keeper" for those who are interested the real stories of Las Vegas.

1 comments about Norm Clarke's Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales.

1. I haven't read the whole book yet, but want to make everyone aware of what they are buying. Is Norm Clarke interesting? No doubt. But just know that:
   1) this book is very small in size
   2) this book has a large amount of pictures that take up alot of that already small space
   3) alot of what is in this book is likely something you may already know if you follow this type of stuff

5 comments about Sun, Sin And Suburbia: An Essential History Of Modern Las Vegas.

1. Sun, Sin and Suburbia is an interesting, well-written and impeccably researched volume. As a non-Las Vegan I would have liked to read more about the Mob; the Culinary Union's struggles; Howard Hughes and Steve Wynn, and less about residential communities. Whilst the book added to my knowledge of Sin City, it fell short of its promise to be "An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas".



2. Schumacher has packed his account of Las Vegas full of insightful and interesting facts that other books about Las Vegas often lack. He demonstrates his intelligent, talented prose in providing a balanced perspective of the more familiar side of Las Vegas, the casino industry, while offering inside information on the development of southern Nevada, home to more than 1.6 million people. The book is well organized, and can be read in whole, or by choosing one of eleven chapters that each independently address a specific topic of Las Vegas history and its future. Those of us who live here will find useful insight on people and places we encounter regularly, as well as enlightening historical information on the people who came before us. Non-residents will gain fascinating and insightful facts beyond what is commonly known about Las Vegas. It's a great read.



3. Geoff Schumacher's "Sun,Sin,Suburbia" is a well written book that takes a look into the history of Las Vegas over the last twenty years. Written with a historians attention to detail, "Sun, Sin, Suburbia" is also a very fun read for any who are interested in Las Vegas and the rise and domination of corporations lead by men like Steve Wynn.



4. I purchased this book on my last trip to Las Vegas and found it be well researched, factual and informative.
   
   I preferred the first half of the book, which provided a brief run down of the casinos, both on and off the strip, to the second half, which detailed the development of the communities within and around Las Vegas. While I found the chapters on Summerlin, Henderson and North Las Vegas interesting, I feel that they could have been condensed into one chapter and more information provided on the history of the casinos, particularly the ones that have been imploded to make way for the new resorts.
   
   Overall, I found this book to be a good read and recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about Las Vegas other than just the strip casinos.



5. Geoff Schumacher, a local Vegas newspaper reporter, does a good job of bringing the story of Las Vegas to life in Sun, Sin & Suburbia. He is perfectly qualified to write this book, however the title of this book is misleading because he focuses mainly on local real estate development and city planning issues. His coverage of the history of casino development on the Strip is cursory, but informative. Where he's strongest is in his description of the developments of Summerlin and the other suburbs around Vegas. The book is 60% Suburbia, and 30% casinos, with zero sin.
   
   If you're looking for the "story" of Vegas including gangsters, big-time casino developers and all the color of Vegas, this is the wrong book. It takes someone with a very keen interest in the details of real estate development in Clark County to stay with the author. In this area, his work is peerless among the many books about Vegas history. My suspicion is this book will be more interesting to long-time Vegas residents than to visitors.
   
   This book was written in 2004, as Vegas was still enjoying its multi-decade mega boom in real estate and casino development. Despite the steady trend for decades, the future is never certain. An example of this is my favorite quote from the book, when the author predicts continued strong growth: "The next five years are pretty much such in stone. We know what will happen..."

3 comments about Old Heart Of Nevada: Ghost Towns And Mining Camps Of Elko County.

1. Shawn Hall obviously has a love of history and it's preservation. "Old Heart of Nevada: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Elko County" is obviously the result of 1000's of hours of research and countless miles of off-road exploration. Hall's account of these now vanished towns is both factual and facinating as he provides the history, stories, and current state of dozens of now defunct towns, mines, and ranch sites of the area.
   The text alone is worth the price for the facts and stories, but even better are the historical photos which can often be contrasted with the author's own photo's of the same area.
   A must-have for any Nevada historian or explorer.



2. All of Shawn Hall's books are excellent. We have used them for several years to plan trips and then go find the locations he mentions. He gives the reader not only the history of the site, but what remains today of the ghost towns, old stage stops, and railroad towns.



3. As with other books of this style and Author, There are no maps of any use nor are there GPS Coordinates. While instructions are included so the sites they are very vague and many depend on your finding a site your not interested in, in order to find the one you want. With so many dirt roads in mining area's the directions to turn left of a dirt road does not help with there could be 10 dirt roads in a span of three hundred feet.

4 comments about The Players: The Men Who Made Las Vegas.

1. 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.




2. 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.



3. 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.




4. 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.

1 comments about The Big Bonanza: An Authentic Account of the Discovery, History, and Working of the Comstock Lode.

1. This the definitive work on the Comstock Lode. How it started, how they did it, and what happened. If you are a history buff you will not be able to put it down.

5 comments about Every Farm Tells a Story: A Tale of Family Farm Values.

1. Jerry Apps magnificently captures the heart and soul of growing up on a small family farm in EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY. His youth was spent in rural central Wisconsin half-a-century ago, but the character of the culture he writes about was not unlike that of much of rural Middle America in those times. The book is based on his Ma's journal accounting of all the family's expenses and revenues through the years, but the anecdotes take you back to all the stories behind those numbers. Apps shares with us how all the entries were, indeed, more than just numbers - they had meaning and context in the bigger picture of what farm life was all about. In a comfortable and enjoyable style, he tells stories of family values, the hard times and good times, the honest dealings and fair play that caused most farm kids back then to grow up with integrity and a solid work ethic. EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY is a great read, but it's much more than just nostalgia. In a personal and sometimes almost poetic way, it documents a significant part of our country's historical heritage.



2. I loved this book on American farm life! It is well-written, interesting and one of the best on this subject, in my opinion. I have just ordered several other of Jerry Apps books.



3. This book is worth every penny! It makes great bedtime reading as the chapters are short, and Jerry Apps is brilliant with a pen. The real tales of his hard-working family and their farm are immensely enjoyable. I would highly recommend this one.



4. I was lucky enough to be brought up on a small family dairy farm in WI. My folks, older siblings, and relatives talked wistfully about the threshing crews, haymaking, and dealing with the cows. The author did a good job documenting the way a WI dairy farm ran in the 1950's and how it impacted and shaped a family.



5. This is an excellent book if you grew up on a farm in the 50's and 60's. I read it cover to cover. It's an "easy read"; hard to put down...like a good novel. It brought me back to the good old days!

4 comments about Quiet Kingmaker of Las Vegas: E. Parry Thomas.

1. This book is an outstanding read about the one man that saw the potential of Las Vegas from almost the beginning. Don't miss this easy read and informative histoy of the building of Las Vegas.



2. I might have heard Parry Thomas's name in one of the many times I've been in Las Vegas, but I can't be sure of that. So when I picked up "The Quiet Kingmaker" - I was a blank slate - no preconceived notions, no idea what kind of story author Jack Sheehan had to tell. I was hoping for some behind the scenes scoops on the making of this fascinating town...and I got 'em.
   
   This book is the book that people who watch the Las Vegas channel, I mean, The Travel Channel, need to read. There are amazing stories in here of very famous names and many not so famous names, coming together to create this unlikely city in the desert; and behind an incredible number of those deals, was banker and investor Parry Thomas.
   
   Thomas started coming to Las Vegas in 1952, and moved there with his family soon after. He was an incredibly hard working visionary who saw the potential of Las Vegas in ways that few others did. With hard work, a brilliant mind and a wonderful way with people, he made changes in Las Vegas (and Nevada) that helped make the city what it is today.
   
   He is very clear that the only reasons he's telling these stories now are because most of the people involved are dead, and for the city's historical record. Thomas mentions several times that he prized confidentiality for his clients above all else, and one can still sense reticence behind his words. We're getting more of the story than has ever been told, but probably not all of it. Which is fine...some secrets need to stay in those dark, smoke filled back rooms. No one wants all of Vegas in the light...
   
   Thomas, from all the accounts given by the names in this book such as Steve and Elaine Wynn, Bill Boyd and Michael Milken (to name only a few), was a wonderful, trusting and honest man. He cared deeply about doing the right thing by all parties of a deal, and his handshake meant more than a signed contract. And yet - there are unspoken stories in this book that remind the reader that we are talking about doing business in Las Vegas...which means something different than doing business anywhere else.
   
   Thomas tells this story about a restaurateur to whom he refused a loan: "...the guy eventually got so mad he took out newspaper ads criticizing me and he passed out flyers all through my neighborhood and downtown criticizing me and saying that I was a bad banker and a bad person. I had to figure out a way to shut him up, and so I called this little guy who worked at the Sands. His name was Aaron Weisberg. He was a wonderful fellow. I knew that Aaron had a lot of clout with some important tough guys, so I asked Aaron if he could do anything about this guy who was threatening me. All the hassling just stopped cold the next day."
   
   Thomas also had quite a few dealings with Howard Hughes, which make for fascinating reading. "...In sum, that's exactly how the richest man in America was allowed to stay in a hotel owned by the biggest gamblers in America, by the most outstanding lawyer in Washington agreeing to write a brief for the most notorious labor leader in the country. Now there's a four-way parlay for you."
   
   The author, Sheehan, uses a very deft touch bringing Thomas's voice to the forefront of all of the stories. He then brings in many, many of the other players in the deals to corroborate or further clarify details. The timeline of the stories flow well, taking the reader from the early fifties in Vegas to modern day. (Although Parry Thomas now lives in Hailey, Idaho, "just one state removed from Nevada, (but) if a person were to measure the distance by electrical wattage and human energy, this farming community of 6,000 full time residents is more than a million miles away from the blinding glow of Las Vegas at night.")
   
   Parry Thomas seems to be a humble man, not looking for the spotlight even given his success and the influence he's had over one of the major cities in America. (Which is probably why I, and hundreds of thousands of the visitors to Vegas have never heard his name.) But there is one accomplishment of his in this book that bears the distinct stamp of pride, and it might be the biggest part of what Vegas is today. "I'm the guy that got the Mob out of Las Vegas, with getting the legislation passed to have corporate gaming and putting in the safeguards such as anybody with over five percent interest in the place having to stand for licensing. It didn't say you had to be licensed, just that you had to stand for it and be investigated for it and so on. And the thing that got the Mob out quicker than anything else was that passing that law, because before that the corporations couldn't come in. If I'm insistent about taking the credit for that, it's because I did it all by myself and it took years of hard work and negotiating with the Legislature to make it happen."
   
   This is a great book, one that tells previously unknown stories, one that explains the behind the scenes details of the making of Las Vegas, but stays true to the Vegas we all imagine it was. It has the best of what is Vegas: the money, the names, the danger and the excitement.
   
   "One thing I'd learned about guys like Moe is that you never lie or evade anything. I said, "Moe, you're absolutely right. I did figure it out for your best interests. I'm going to have Howard Hughes buy this hotel. You're trying to sell it and I'm going to get you a fair price." Moe sat there for several long minutes without saying a word. He then stood up and turned around and pointed his finger in my chest and said, "You better!" And he stormed off."
   
   That's power. That's the story of a quiet kingmaker.



3. This country has always been fascinated by Las Vegas...It is so far from the main stream day to day life most people endure. It is really interesting to meet the originators of this amazing city.
   
   The author has done a great job of getting to the true character of one of the real movers and shakers of the top tourist attractions on earth.



4. 
   Let's try to imagine Las Vegas without Parry Thomas, who was the first to lend money to Las Vegas casinos and one of the driving forces in the city's growth and philanthropy. From the mid-1950s, no banks lend money to casinos, so they can't grow any bigger than two or three hundred rooms. Mainstream financiers aren't interested in investing in such dodgy joints, so its possible that, in the 1960s, there's no influx of outside capital into the business. Without Thomas' intervention, it's possible that Howard Hughes doesn't choose to stay in Nevada after Moe Dalitz tries to evict him from the Desert Inn in December 1966. Steve Wynn still comes to Las Vegas in 1967 at the Frontier, but without Thomas' encouragement it's entirely possible that he and Elaine decide that they're going to return to the East Coast and try their luck in another business. At the very least, there's no Roger Thomas to help design Wynn's resorts (Roger is Parry's son). In the late 1960s, there's no one to champion the corporate gambling acts, or to persuade Bill Harrah to drop his opposition to them, so you don't get publicly-traded companies owning casinos. UNLV is likely either crammed into 55 acres on Maryland Parkway (instead of the 400 it currently operates) or divided into several campuses throughout the valley.
   
   There's still a city there, and it probably has a casino industry, but it's going to look much different, and probably not for the better. That's the impact that Thomas had.
   
   Onto the book itself: it's not a biography in the usual sense, but rather a combination autobiography and oral history. Basically, Thomas talks about his life, and friends, family members, and business associates chime in. Sheehan, as an author, yields the spotlight to Thomas and the others. It's hard to imagine that there was a better way to do this book. Thomas, like Steve Wynn, is a master storyteller, with a keen recall and an eye for detail that will gratify the reader.
   
   There is introductory material about Thomas' youth and young adulthood in Utah, and closing material on Thomas' family life, but most of this book is a personal history of Las Vegas 1955-1995 or so, as told by Thomas with others adding their perspective when appropriate. As such, it might be one of the most important books about Las Vegas history that you'll ever read. Thomas sets the record straight on many fronts and is candid about his battles with the IRS and his dealings with alleged organized crime figures.
   
   Without Thomas, Las Vegas as we know it would not exist. It's fortunate that he was persuaded to share the story of his life and career, both so that his contributions are not forgotten and so that students of history have a better idea of what really went on in Las Vegas as it grew into prominence.