Francis Anderton and John Chase
,
Las Vegas (Ellipsis, UK).
Beautifully written, highly
intelligent pocket book that
describes and illustrates every
major building in the Las Vegas of
1996.
Alan Hess , Viva Las
Vegas (Chronicle). A
comprehensive, lovingly
illustrated survey of Las Vegas's
architectural history, which
consistently throws fascinating
sidelights on the development of
the city.
Robert Venturi, Denise Scott
Brown, Steve Izenour , Learning
From Las Vegas (MIT Press).
Seminal architectural treatise
that was in 1972 the first work to
hail the Strip as something new
and intriguing, and introduced the
great debate between
"ducks" and
"decorated sheds" to the
aesthetics of Las Vegas.
Susan Berman ,
Lady Las
Vegas (TV Books). The book of
the excellent TV series is a messy
disappointment; Berman, who has
herself fallen victim to a
mysterious murder, shares some
good family anecdotes from the
days when her father ran the
Flamingo
, but as a history of the city
it's vague and timid.
Shawn Levy , Rat Pack
Confidential (Doubleday, US;
Fourth Estate, UK). Enjoyable hymn
to the "last great showbiz
party," when Las Vegas
prostrated itself at the feet of
Frank Sinatra and the boys.
Eugene P Moehring , Resort
City In The Sunbelt; Las Vegas
1930-70 (University of Nevada
Press). A dry but very detailed
history that aims to show how much
Las Vegas has in common with other
western cities, as well as what
makes it unique.
Nicholas Pileggi , Casino
(Pocket Star Books, US; Corgi,
UK). The mind-boggling true-life
story of Frank "Lefty"
Rosenthal and the
"skimming" of the Stardust
by organized crime during the
1970s, which became the basis of
Martin Scorsese's movie.
Ed Reid and Ovid Demaris
, The Green Felt Jungle
(Pocket Books, o/p). This classic
journalistic expose from 1963 of
Las Vegas's seamy underbelly did
nothing whatsoever to dent the
city's growth; murders, the Mob,
prostitution, it's all here.
Hal K Rothman (ed), Reopening
The American West (University
of Arizona Press). An essay
collection that's worth buying for
Mike Davis's eye-opening account
of the environmental issues facing
Las Vegas.
Jack Sheehan (ed), The
Players: The Men Who Made Las
Vegas (University of Nevada
Press). Very readable warts'n'all
biographies of the major figures
in Las Vegas's casino history.
John L Smith , No
Limit (Huntington Press). An
entertaining chronicle of the
genesis of Bob Stupak's folly, the
Stratosphere .
John L Smith , Running
Scared: The Life and Treacherous
Times of Las Vegas Casino King
Steve Wynn (Barricade Books).
In which it turns out, despite
Smith's best efforts, that there's
not much more to Steve Wynn than
meets the eye.
David Spanier , Welcome
To The Pleasuredome
(University of Nevada Press). This
comprehensive overview of Las
Vegas in all its glory, absurdity,
and venality dates from 1992; many
of the characters are still
around, but a new edition would be
nice.
Mike Weatherford , Cult
Vegas (Huntington Press). The Las
Vegas-Review Journal 's
entertainment columnist runs a
loving eye over the city's music
and movie scene, with separate
chapters devoted to Frank Sinatra
and Elvis Presley, and a
fascinating survey of lounges both
past and present.
Thomas A Bass ,
The
Newtonian Casino (Penguin,
UK); titled
The Eudaemonic Pie
in the US (Penguin US, o/p). Every
gambler's dream: the true saga of
how a group of computer graduates
at the end of the 1970s
constructed a shoe-size computer
to predict the revolutions of the
roulette wheel. So did they beat
the casinos? Read on ?
Edward Thorp , Beat
The Dealer (Vintage Books).
The card-counter's bible;
mathematical proof that it is
possible to win at blackjack if
you're equipped with the perfect
brain. The casinos soon learned
not to fear those who attempted to
follow this first of many
fiendishly complicated systems.
Barney Vinson , Las
Vegas Behind The Tables parts 1
and 2 (Gollehon Press). A
casino insider gives the low-down
on the gambling business and all
that goes with it; fascinating
reading, even if it makes you want
to give up for good.
Andres Martinez ,
24/7:
Living It Up and Doubling Down in
the New Las Vegas (Villard).
Journalists story of taking his
book advance and putting it on the
line at Vegas's gambling tables -
thus creating the plot for this
nonfiction tale.
Robert B Parker , Chance
(Berkley Books). Fictional
detective Spenser keeps his head
above the murky waters of Las
Vegas as he delves into some very
dirty business indeed.
Mario Puzo Fools
Die (Signet). No, it's not The
Godfather , and not especially
well written either, but this tale
of high-stakes gambling, casino
cons, Mafioso, and the like
manages to be diverting enough.
Hunter S Thompson , Fear
and Loathing in Las Vegas
(Random House, US; Paladin, UK).
Classic account of the
drug-propelled "gonzo"
journalist's lost weekend in early
1970s Las Vegas. What's really
striking is how much further over
the top the place has gone since
then.
Mike Tronnes (ed), Literary
Las Vegas (Henry Holt, US;
Mainstream Publishing, UK). Superb
collection of book extracts and
magazine articles, which provides
the full flavor of the changing
city over the last fifty years.
