No comments about Las Vegas Pocket Map and Guide (Eyewitness Pocket Maps & Guides).

No comments about Las Vegas Is My Beat.

1 comments about Las Vegas.

1. Las Vegas
   by Andreas Schmidt
   
   
   Las Vegas is a city with a skyrocketing population, one defined by pavement, neon lights and a grandeur that often flirts between extravagant and gaudy. It is a city of paradoxes - a place where the homeless, churchgoers and environmentalists mingle at all hours with gamblers, drinkers and plastic surgeons.
   
   
   But German-born photographer Andreas Schmidt strips away this sense of glamour and excitement by exposing a frighteningly perfect yet lonely side of this desert-sprung city. His work offers no apologies for this visual analysis but instead seeks to capture a more surreal interpretation.
   
   
   This collection, therefore, offers no backstage pass to the more illicit side of Vegas. There are no scenes of an old man gambling, a scantily clad woman dancing on a brightly lit stage or a teenager wandering down one of Vegas' many dilapidated streets. Schmidt's work focuses purely on architecture and light.
   
   
   The focus of his untitled photographs illuminates these quiet and simplistic moments. The idea that Vegas is a city where one's luck can change with the flip of a card, the roll of a dice, is deliberately ignored in his series of photographs. Instead, he highlights the empty spaces, the endless rows of bare hotel corridors - eerily perfect and equally indistinguishable.
   
   
   There is a jarring, almost unsettling quality to this six-piece hallway series. The passageways appear to stretch forward - without an end insight. The images haunt and linger.
   
   
   Similarly, a photograph of an empty street suddenly appears strange and unfamiliar without the sight of dozens of rushing cars and pedestrians. The steel panels of the window frame the stillness and highlight a moment of disquieting emptiness in a city that prides itself of never sleeping.
   
   
   In a collection of endless images of bright lights, dashing cars and interchangeable hallways, a single photograph of a large willow tree becomes a compelling portrait. The neon light of a barely visible sign peeks through its numerous branches, giving it an almost unearthly glow.
   
   
   Text by Christina Erb.

No comments about Unique Media Map: Las Vegas.

1 comments about Berlitz Pocket Guide Las Vegas (Berlitz Pocket Guides).

1. I wish I would have had it BEFORE I was there this summer. Great for trip planning and self touring of Vegas and the surrounding area. Good referances to economic features and useful information.

3 comments about American Byzantium: Photographs of Las Vegas (University of Arizona Southwest Center series).

1. It's a smallish book with not quite the usual photos that we normally see and are familiar with. I love Las Vegas and love Las Vegas books. This one is just one of the bunch. Not really a stand out but all together not bad. Its a good to average read, photos interesting but not that memorable. Keep looking I think, there are better books out there.



2. "American Byzantium: Photographs of Las Vegas" depicts the startling contrasts of a city that is larger than life. It is no mere "coffee table" adornment; it is ART and REALISM fused into one magical book. The brilliant photographs of Virgil Hancock chronicle "Sin City" in all its glitter and in all its waste. His artistic images range from the neon-studded hotels on the strip to wedding chapels to pawn shops to a group of ventriloquists attending a convention.

   Gregory McNamee perceptively captures the mood of a city that defines 'extremism' with his superb narration. His essays are insightful and frank without the flowery superlatives. McNamee weaves the tale of a town that is a contrast in Life 101.

   Las Vegas is one of my favorite cities. Every few months, we fly our plane to Vegas and less than 2 hrs. later, I am transported to another world: a kingdom of luxury, excitement, and fine dining. There are few sights that are more captivating than slowly circling over the vast menagerie of neon lights.

   I'm a "down to earth" woman - I love hiking through forests and deserts, but there are times when I want nothing more in life than to be pampered at The Venetian and enjoy all my favorite gourmet restaurants in Vegas. There are few places that I would rather visit.

   "American Byzantium" is a must read for those who love Vegas as I do - as well as for those who plan to visit Vegas for the first time. This book captures Las Vegas in a way that not only focuses on the stardust of luxury, but brushes away that dust to reveal the stark realities as well.




3. A disappointing book, least to me, because I found the photos too broad in the coverage. Having looked through it several times I thought it kept on verging on one of those picture books found in tourist shops with titles 'A book to remember her by'.
   
   It really is a mixed bag. The photos I liked best were those that showed the non-tourist parts of the city: the huge pole billboards along the highway, small retail units, decaying buildings and street scenes but turn a page and there's a spread of the interior of The Forum or maybe the characters in the Museum of Magic and Movies.
   
   This really should have been two books. One a photo survey of the exuberant (and vulgar) hotels and casinos, interior and exterior and book two the rest of Vegas. I would definitely go for the second and Hancock has shown with the photos in this book that he has an eye for interesting compositions and subject matter.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about Laminated Las Vegas City Streets Map by Borch.

5 comments about The Real Las Vegas: Life Beyond the Strip.

1. 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.




2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.




5. 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.

No comments about 2009 Las Vegas Wall Calendar.

2 comments about The Las Vegas Advisor Guide to Slot Clubs.

1. This is the 1995 edition which, while useful in showing how Slot Clubs work, is hopelessly outdated in its particulars. I had understood that there would be a 1998 edition which would have been more useful. None of the newer casinos is listed here because of the book's age. I also know for fact that the club at MGM Grand has changed its modus operandi since this book was written. If you want an overview of how slot clubs work, this book could be for you. I cannot recommend it for current information.



2. I am heading for Las Vegas again very soon and am going through this book very carefully to decide where I will do most of my playing. This is the 3rd time I am using this book as a reference to guide me to the best places to play slots and video poker. I had hoped a newer edition would be out by now, hence the 4 rating rather than a 5, but don't let that stop you from buying this book. The am't of info
   contained in this book will guide the new and the veteran
   Las Vegas gambler alike. I won't leave home without it!