History

Nevada’s capital city is today a charming, modern community, with an unusually eventful past. A Short History of Carson City traces its history from its origin as a mid-nineteenth-century trading post to its rise as the political center of Nevada. Here are the hard-working citizens and colorful characters, the political and business decisions, and the evolving economy that helped shape it. This is the first comprehensive historical account of a thoroughly modern state capital with its roots...

The authors, both journalists, moved to Las Vegas in 1977. In this book, they look at the entire spectrum of Glitter City from its humble beginnings as a little pond in a big desert to its fantastic present. Covers pioneers, mobsters, entertainers, dam builders, and back street action. Also includes a look at Laughlin, Primm, and Mesquite. 240 Pgs. 1999

Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World, takes such a backseat to Las Vegas, it's often ignored by historians who cover the history of gaming. In this book, the Lands manage to cram more than 100 years of information along with pictures, illustrations, maps, and interesting tidbits about the people who actually made gambling, people like Bill Harrah and Pappy Smith. 130 pgs, paperback, 1995

History of Nevada within a social and political context. Probes the economic impact (and other factors) of gambling in Nevada, while asking questions about this key source of state income. Traces the evolution of gambling control. 142 pgs, paperback, 1986

Kelly leads off with Wild Bill Hickok and Poker Alice before moving to Luke Short, Soapy Smith, Bob Ford, Doc Holliday, John Wesley Hardin, Tom Horn, Bat Masterson, Buckskin Frank Leslie, Sam Bass and Belle Starr. He captures the flavor of the times; the conditions these pioneers lived and played in; how tough life was with hot women and warm beer, bad booze, miserable food and equally horrible working conditions. Kelly has done some fascinating digging and extensive research. 184 Pgs. 1995 ...

This detailed history of five of Europe's most famous gambling spasBath, Spa, Baden Baden, Bad Homburg, Monte Carlotakes researchers from the beginnings in the 19th century through 1914. Presents a treasury of gambling anecdotes, both humorous and dramatic, about the famous and infamous, their wins and losses, including those of Beau Nash, John Wesley, Leo Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Francois Blanc. 280 pgs, paperback, 1983

Gambling is something that many of us participate in, and this can include a trip to a casino or perhaps a home game of poker. But it turns out gambling, or aspects of gambling, will appear in many places, and this, of course, includes history, and that's what this book is about. First, we'll define exactly what gambling is, explain why both luck and skill (or lack of skill) are important, and also define something called non-self-weighting strategies which just happens to be the right way to...

Whether known as "The Entertainment Capital of the World" or Sin City, Glitter Gulch or even "Lost Wages" Nevada, the dazzling city of Las Vegas has undergone incredible transformation-from ancient watering hole to Mormon fort, from whistle stop to mob-run profit center to become the fastest-growing urban community in the nation. Home to nearly 1.5 million residents, a melting pot of races and cultures, this great metropolis boasts a thrilling history of vices and virtues but, above all, a...

The meteoric rise of Las Vegas from a remote Mormon outpost to an international entertainment center and metropolitan area of over a million people was never a sure thing. In its first decades, the town languished but when Nevada legalized casino gambling (1931), the city met its destiny. This book celebrates the city's unparalleled growth, examining the development of its industry and the creation of an urban complex. Here are the colorful characters who shaped the growth, chronologically...

Richly illustrated with photos, maps, drawings, and copies of documents and clippings, these two volumes trace the history of the state. Vol. 1 includes Reno, Elko, Carson City, and its mining, politics, ranching, and gaming. Vol. 2 highlights Tonopah, Las Vegas, and Ely and includes entertainment history. 222 Pgs.1981

For 18 years Las Vegans have enjoyed small helpings of their own rich history served up by public radio station KNPR, hearing well-told tales of characters with names like Whiskey Pete and the comic-opera romance between a famous female evangelist and a boyfriend called Whataman. This book presents more than 100 of those stories selected mostly by the program's original author, historian Frank Wright, who mined the pits and pockets of local lore for nuggets little-known to the public,...

Queen of Hearts: The Story of Anna Sipl Meyers recounts the life of the first woman of her time to own and successfully manage a hotel and casino in Las Vegas: The first was The Casbah, changed to Queen of Hearts, the second Little Annie’s Nevada Hotel and Casino. Anna Meyers socialized with the noteworthy and the notorious, gentlemen and thugs. She cared for the homeless and the derelicts, and bore the scorn of the Country Club set who ended up celebrating her. Though Anna is very well known...

A major study of the urbanization of Las Vegas that also provides a look at the city's historical development, this is a scholarly study of Las Vegas' efforts to annex its suburbs. Contains a discussion of the civil rights movement in the city: how Blacks were excluded and how the industry allowed a few influential bigots to control its destiny in the 1930s and 40s. 330 pgs, paperback, 2000

Was $65.00 Now $50.00! A one-of-a-kind item, this coffee-table book contains 139 fine reproductions of great works of art that incorporate gambling in their theme. The photos include a black-figure painting that dates back to 500 B.C., dozens of card players, several works by Leroy Neiman, Picasso, Thomas Hart Benton and other artists. A beautifully rendered documentation of the evolution of gambling. 231 Pgs. 2000 Hardcover ...

A coffee-table book, this fine effort is a compilation of articles serialized in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The subject is, of course, Las Vegas' first 100 years, and it pays tribute to 100 people who were most influential in the shaping of Las Vegas.The authors compiled the profiles of these men and women who ushered the city to the forefront of pop culture.The names include casino founders (Bugsy Siegel, Benny Binion, for example), explorers and pioneers (John C. Fremont, O.D. Gass and...

Fourteen chapters by noted writers, researchers and scholars focus on people who were/are instrumental in the explosive growth of Nevada. The history of gaming in the state is traced by looking at the people who had the vision to see a tiny railroad town in the middle of a desert as a resort destination. Includes Maude Frazier, educator and lawmaker; Moe Dalitz; controversial founder of the modern Las Vegas; James McMillan, who championed the drive for equality; William F. Harrah; Hank...