I lived in bodie as a child before it became a state park, I own one of Rosa May's perfume bottles, the one with the daisys for the top. I haven't read the book, but I know the town pretty well.

I read this book several years ago. As a writer, who enjoys "early California-Irish history," I was impressed by the diligent work of G. Williams. This book is a caring, thoughtfull book, covering many aspects of mining history -- complete with colorful characters like rosa may.

I had read and commented on: The Guide to Bodie and Eastern Sierra Historic Sites (Western Americana History Series): by George Williams and became interested enough to buy this book. I feel I now have a better idea of life in Bodie during the late 1800's and early 1900's, and I have learned a great deal about Mr. Williams and his early tries at being an author. I intend to return to Bodie next summer and if the occasion arises I would like to meet Mr. Williams. Any one who can write a book so compelling that I finished it in two settings must be an interesting man to know. I also want to go to Rosa May's grave and see if I too can sense the compelling interest in Rosa May that Mr. Williams felt when he first went there. Don Gerue

I almost bought this book but was fortunate enough to find a copy at my local public library. (I heartily recommend that alternative to buying the book if you have a choice.) I started reading it with great anticipation, but was disappointed off the bat by all the filler material on Bob Stupak's father, Chester. Yeah, sure, the old man was a great influence on his son, but two paragraphs would have sufficed! Next, I kept expecting to read interesting anecdotes about Vegas World, one of the funkiest gambling joints the world will ever know--the very epitome of cheesy. However, the stories just aren't there, and it is a major shortcoming. Finally, even the manner in which the author addresses the great plunge the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino took after it opened in 1996 makes that event--the repercussions of which are still felt today in Las Vegas--seem anticlimactic and irrelevant.

In short, the tower, which Stupak originally conceived as a cash cow, turned out to be his biggest folly and the instrument of his demise. That is the real story of Bob Stupak, but you won't get it in this jumbled, incoherent tome.

Most interesting...biography of Bob Stupak. Easy read. If you wonder where did the idea of the Stratosphere come from... this has the answers. Bob Stupak is a fascinating gentleman, this tells his story. I just returned from a visit to Vegas and went to the top of Stratosphere, road the High Roller Roller Coaster and took the Big Shot...came across this book while in Vegas and couldn't put it down. Gives background of several casinos and the personalities involved with them... recommend it.

Great book. Being a regular Las Vegas visitor I have always been intrigued by the incredible Stratosphere Tower and Casino, and wanted to learn a bit more about Bob Stupak, the Stratosphere creator and infamous Vegas personality. What a fascinating life Stupak has had. Everything from his motorcycle racing days, to his early struggles of trying to succeed in the cutthroat Vegas gaming industry. Here is a man with an 8th grade education that overcame staggering odds to become one of the most successful independent operators in the city. He survived a heavy handed Nevada Gaming Control Board, as well as a motorcycle accident that nearly killed him. There is a lesson in this book for all of us. The key word is DETERMINATION! I hope one day my travels in Vegas will give me the opportunity to meet Mr. Stupak, who no matter what you think of him, has left a lasting impression on the Las Vegas skyline that will be a reminder of him for years to come.

In this book Smith wrote a much better story than the hatchet job he did on casino mogul Steve Wynn. Hey John how about a book on one of the true gentleman gaming legends in Vegas, none other than Jackie Gaughan? If written in the even handed manner of your Stupak book, I'll be the first buyer in line!!

The trouble with this book is that it tries to do too much with too little space. A book with 261 pages may not seem "little", but given the multitude of adventures available in the Sierra Nevada, that turns out to be the case. The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in California that stretches from Lake Tahoe on down past Mount Whitney. Encompassed within this 400-or-so mile stretch is a diversity of topography that is world-renowned for its stunning beauty. No less is this area admired for the myriad adventuring possibilities, from the typical skiing, hiking, and fishing to the more exotic rock climbing, mountain biking, and river rafting. Unfortunately, in trying to present this smorgasbord of possibilities in its limited space, the book squeezes out quality for quantity.

The book is divided into three regions: the Eastern Sierra (which includes Mt. Whitney, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, and Mono Lake); Nevada & Lake Tahoe; and the Western Sierra (which includes Sacramento, Yosemite, Kings Canyon & Sequoia, and Gold Country). Looking at the table of contents, one might be impressed by the books' seeming comprehensiveness: Under any given area one sees subheadings about its history, local transportation, information sources, cultural & historical sights, where to stay, and where to dine. And the listing of its raison d'être, adventuring, appears to be even more impressive: the table of contents is liberally sprinkled with listings for hiking, skiing, water-sports, and other activities. Looks impressive until one notices that most of these sections get only one page or less -- with fairly large print to boot. In other words, you don't get as much information as you might think you're getting.

Even the activities or areas that get multiple-pages are given short shrift. The section on Tahoe rock climbing, for instance, amounts to three pages of extremely brief descriptions of a number of climbing areas; clearly, a guidebook or two to the area will be needed, and yet they don't mention any. As another example, the section on recommended Yosemite trails points out the names of the standard spots (Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, etc.) with a minor bit of description -- too minor to be of much use. You'll end up having to use a Yosemite hiking guide or some brochure available at one of the ranger stations. One is tempted to ask the authors: Why not just start with the other guidebooks or brochures? What does your book add to them? What makes your book worth purchasing?

The book's main claim to existence -- the niche it has tried to carve out for itself to separate it from the scores of other Sierra guides -- is its attempt to be comprehensive in listing the adventuring possibilities in the Sierras. In this attempt the authors have failed: the listings are just too scanty to be of much use. Nothing in this book expands on the information you could get on any given area over the internet, through the mail, or over the telephone; it certainly doesn't expand on the information available in similar books.

Not that the book is terrible; if you can find this book at the library, perhaps it might be of some use to you to help plan your trip. I just can't recommend anyone purchasing it; any number of popular general guides would probably serve you better. A guide on your particular specialtie/s would be better still, e.g., a guide to Sierra fishing or Sierra hikes. And the internet or a few addresses and numbers (available at any library) could get you the info that would really flesh out your trip. Even if you were into scores of outdoor activities, this book wouldn't be enough. Which gets back to my question: Why, then, pick up this guide at all?

"...intended for the adventure-minded travelers with special affection for the outdoors and nature. Each Adventure Guide packs in outdoor-oriented activities set in different regions. There's something for nearly everyone." Midwest Book Review

California's magnificent Sierra Nevada mountain range packs a punch when it comes to adventuring. Join local author Wilbur Morrison as he walks you along the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail, through King's Canyon, up to the top of Mount Whitney, and swimming in Lake Tahoe. Offering tips on exploring this fantastic area alone, Morrison also lists local outfitters who can help you plan a horseback riding trip, a hike, a biking excursion or an overnight trek.

Written nearly 20 years ago, Alvarez focuses mostly on the personalities that made up the early years of the World Series of Poker, the Binions, David Sklansky, Doyle Brunson, Stu Unger and many others. He gives their personal histories and repeats anecdotes that help explain them. He also gives a decent profile of Vegas itself and the many regional poker masters from around the world who come to Vegas to lose all their money.

I know this book is 20 years old, so its not particularly surprising that most of the anecdote and stories seem old. Its all about Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek and Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunson. Naturally there's a new posse in the world of poker today, Men the Master Nguyen, Phil Hellmuth , Poker Dick Cook. and the brilliant Russell Rosenblum. The world of the world series of poker has changed much since this book was written in 1983, there remains a question even about how much longer Binions will host the world series and the there is a real possiblity that Bellagio will even buy the trademarked name. This book advertises itself as a timeless cult classic, and as a period piece from 25 years ago, A. Alvarez captured a time and place. I wonder how much of this however will resound as novel to the poker player of today. When Alvarez mentioned Stu Unger winning the world series, it left me wanting to read about how stu ungar moved from world champion to dying in a run down Vegas motel room. Or when he talked about Ted Binion running Binions, the mind flashes to the fact that binion has since been murdered .Plenty of good advice in here for hold em play, of course the problem in gambling isn't usually knowing what to do, its being able to do it, to fight fatigue, to fight temptation to play too many hands, to summon up the courage to pitch aces when you know they have been cracked. The problem with the gamblig genre is that there just arent that many good books out there. Too many agents and publishers think they won't sell and bookstores tend to look down on gambling books as being anti-literary. Snobbery in the bookstore world is a real problem, as anyone who has ever asked a proprietor if they carry the Racing Form on their mag rack will quickly find out.

Fine reading for anyone that has been around the poker scene. Alvarez provides a beautiful and captivating description of the vegas poker scene during the ealy 80's. A captivating and inspirational read.

Buy this book! It is destined to become a collector's item. Prof. Emeritus Bill Guyton of Cal State Chico laboriously reviewed perhaps hundreds of research papers on California's past glaciers and he has presented his synopsis in a highly readable, enjoyable book. For his effort, I give him 5 stars. Unfortunately, he was a compiler, not a field glaciologist, so he has seen very little of the total past-glacial evidence. More unfortunately, for the Sierra Nevada, which easily contained the vast bulk of past glaciers, roughly 80-90% of these glaciers - essentially those on the west side - have been grossly misinterpreted with regard to size, thickness and age. Indeed, the USGS mapped some "old glacial deposits" from aerial photos, but if you hike to these locations, you'll find no glacial evidence whatsoever. Because this book contains soooo much downright poor glacial mapping, the information in this book rates one star. (This is NOT the author's fault.) As I said, buy it, for decades from now, people will want to know what was believed at the end of the 20th century. Bill had planned to incorporate my preliminary, new-view research into his book, but the editors nixed it. As Bill wrote me, the editors said that he "should stick to generally accepted ideas and information. People reading my book would not have the background to judge the controversy, would not be interested in it, and including it would be a distraction." (We must not let the public know that science has raging controversies.) Had my book, The Geomorphic Evolution of the Yosemite and Sierra Nevada Landscapes, been in print before Prof. Guyton's book went to press, perhaps there would have been a better chance of my ideas being mentioned in it. I now take professors, geologists, geographers, and students into the range and make more converts every year. The new interpretation, based in part on well-known laws of glacial physics (which all west-side mappers have ignored), ultimately will win out. Still, there is strong opposition, perhaps most vociferously by a youthful professor, Doug Clark, who has yet to visit my 300 sites of glacial and uplift evidence. To quote Peter Birkeland, who reviewed my book (Quaternary Research, 1998, v. 50, p. 201): "In the spirit of fair play, the answer to all of "Schaffer's views lies in the field, so I challenge interested workers to put the book in their rucksacks, hike through the Sierra Nevada, and make up their own mind. How lucky we are that this is the best way for geologists and geographers to resolve controversies." And, none other than Prof. Guyton is urging me on. He is an honorable man.

I essentially agree with the previous review, with the exception that the absence of references to J. P. Schaffer's work on glaciation in the Sierra Nevada should not be viewed as a problem with the book. Speaking as a glacial geologist who has worked extensively in the Sierra Nevada, the public should know that Schaffer's work has repeatedly failed to pass scientific peer review. Until it does so, it would be irresponsible for other authors, like Guyton, to present it in any publication purporting to be a synopsis of current scientific thinking. Guyton has done a very commendable job of summarizing the latest CRITICALLY REVIEWED thinking on timing and geomorphic effects of ancient glaciation in the Sierra. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about modern and ancient glaciers of California.

Bill Guyton, professor emeritus of geosciences at Cal State Chico, has
written an excellent book designed to teach people with little
knowledge of geology about the glaciers of California.

The book
discusses glaciers and ice ages in general, discovery of glaciers in
California, glacial chronology, and techniques used to determine ages
of glaciations; then goes on to describe ice-age and modern glaciers
throughout California. As a bonus, Guyton has included a chapter
about the controversy surrounded formation of Yosemite Valley and a
field trip through Yosemite on which readers may see glaciers and
their effects on the landscape.

Though the book is fairly complete,
well researched, and certainly well written, Guyton might have
discussed general concepts of glaciation a little bit more thoroughly.
In addition, Guyton omits recent highly controversial (and perhaps
faulty) research done in Yosemite by Jeffrey Schaffer (see _The
Geomorphic Evolution of the Yosemite Valley and Sierra Nevada
Landscapes: Solving the Riddles in the Rocks_, 1997).

The book,
however, is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn more about
California's glaciers.

After reading RAILROAD SCHEMES I was enthalled with Cecelia Holland's heroine, Lily Viner, and couldn't wait to see how her life would unfold in LILY NEVADA. Though not entirely disappointed in the sequel, I didn't find it as satisfying or captivating as the RAILROAD SCHEMES. The winsome young daredevil we met in RS seemed to have become a angry, cold, distant woman in LN. The historical narratives are interesting but I feel that character development & interaction were sacrificed to make room for the history. I hope that Ms. Holland takes us into Lily's world at least one more time and possibly resolves Lily's obvious ties to Brand and her link to her new-found mother.

This was a very good novel continueing the story of Lily Viner, the heroine we met in Railroad Schemes. In this sequel Lily is now 20 years old and has joined up with a theatre. Lily has been searching the news papers for any sign that her mother, who left her and her father when Lily was only a toddler. The only thing that Lily nows about her mother is her name, but she won't give up.

The Railroad Dective, Brand, is now on the trail of a man, who was formerly a part of the theatre. The man, whose name he finds out from Eva Green (Lily's friend and roommate), has supposedly sent a threatenig letter to the governer of California. When Brand finds them (the theatre) he finds out that Lily is traveling with them. This sets Brand on a whole new quest to steal Lily's heart, while still searching for the man that is plotting against the governor.

Ms. Holland has provided a wonderful combination of superb storytelling, colorful characters and real history that jumps off the pages. This is a fascinating picture of San Francisco in the days of its brawling streets and railroad barons. The book seethes with energy. A fine sequel to Railroad Schemes which reaffirms Cecelia Holland's status as a master of the historical novel.

BORING. Not scary at all. Mildly amusing if you have some time to waste.

Do you like short stories? I love them. Sometimes you just can't invest the emotional time in a full-length novel, whereas a short story is exactly right. Besides, I think it's fun to see what a favorite book author can do with the shorter, more restrictive form, and then, sometimes--an additional bonus--one can find new authors well worth pursuing from reading a good anthology. The Malice Domestic series of original traditional, mostly cozy stories is usually top-notch, and this tenth edition is quite possibly the best they've done yet, in my opinion. Three stories alone--of the fourteen included--justify the cost of buying the book. Simon Brett's "A Note of Notes" about 'a £10 note with attitude' is scrumptious, while M. D. Lake, in a wry, world-weary voice, explores the alphabet in "A. B. C. D. E. A. T. H.", providing chuckles galore in this tale of two couples, unhappily married.

Anne Perry, the much-lauded author of two Victorian-set mystery series, has turned away from that time and place to produce a wonderfully humorous, charming story about a group of neighborhood detectives. Word has it that these creatures are based on her own menagerie of dogs and cats and other critters. This is, I believe, the third such episode featuring Daisy, a canine whose lineage is never quite defined, but who possesses immense common sense. In "Daisy and the Christmas Goose" she doesn't let the fact that she's not quite certain of just what is a goose slow down the hunt for one that is missing.

Frankly, I wish some enterprising publisher would produce an entire book of short stories about Daisy and her cohorts, both canine and feline, and other-ines as well. The voicing of these critters is impeccable, sort of an 'All Creatures Great and Small' but in reverse. They're nothing short of wonderful!

All the stories in this collection are eminently readable. Too bad they can't do more than one such anthology a year. Or else a bigger book, with more stories.

The fourteen stories that make up the latest Malice Domestic collection stick to the common theme of everyday people doing "criminal" things they ordinarily would not do. As seems to be the case with this ten-year old series, every contribution fits the main topic while all are also well written and entertaining cozies. Barring none, this is one of the better groups of authors, who demonstrate the need of providing motives rather quickly and believably for their lead characters to act out of the norm. Each author succeeds with a wonderful tale worth reading by anthology fans and cozy advocates.

Harriet Klausner

Tonopah, is one of the best action books I have read. Christopher Lane really shows his best in creating such a story that makes us want to read more and more, I just couldn't put the book down! The suspense in the book is phenomenal, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Tonopah was a fast paced, easy reading book. Although the characters are fairly well developed some of the scrapes they escaped from seemed a little far-fetched. Moves along like a Bruce Willis movie... hard to believe but enjoyable and entertaining at the same time.

Definitely worth reading.

If you like suspense and archaeology, this book is for you. I found this book to be fast-paced, exciting, and a real thriller. While I don't believe that the government is "out-to-get-you", I found the plot fascinating and the characters memorable.

I read this book not because I was interested in pursuing sexual encounters with prostitutes but mostly out of curiousity. I figured it would be quite an interesting read. It was in some ways, but it also was very sleazy and made me feel somewhat down to know that people engage such exploitive practices. Nevertheless, being exposed to this sickening side of humanity did prove to be interesting. This author actually lists places where people can go to pay for sexual encounters in Mexican border cities and how to bargain. What he does not mention is that these girls are victims who have generally been forced to do this kind of work due to alcoholism and drug addiction. The author also states how the prostitutes submit to regular health screenings, but did anyone ever stop to consider that Mexican government is extremely corrupt and bribes can get anyone "legal documentation?" Do you really trust the Mexican government to ensure your health safety by monitoring prostitutes? The author also irresponsibly tells how simple it is to get a hold of Viagra in Mexico without giving adequate warning of its dangers.

This book is great for entertainment purposes- I recommend it for that. But, do not risk your life and follow its advice. The result of such action can destroy your life on many different levels.

As a businessman from Atlanta, I was surprised to learn that prostitution was actually legal somewhere, so I felt compelled to order The $51 Fantasy. Since I am 40-ish and don't get often get opportunities to meet sexy women, I felt this book could add some spice to my frequent business trips to Houston and Los Angeles.

Wow - what an eye-opener! Eric Moore explains all of the gory details about legal prostitution in northern Mexico such as where the sexiest girls work, how much they charge and what services they offer. He provides complete descriptions and locations of these nightclubs and explains every possible mode of transportation necessary to get there. He even explains how to get Viagra in Mexico without a prescription! Not bad. (Of course, I have no need for Viagra. Hee Hee.)

OK, so this book will not go get a Pulitzer. But for what it attempts to do, it is perfect, and this is why I give it "5 Stars." It is graphic, titillating and informative. It will not serve to forward the rights of women around the world, and most people may find this whole concept troubling and revolting. But as far as I am concerned, I can only hope that I will soon get the opportunity to "make a run for the border" for my own $51 Fantasy.

Frommer's Portable Las Vegas is an invaluable source when visiting Las Vegas. I just went on my first trip to Las Vegas and this book was small and light enough to fit in my purse. It gives you all the essential information without all the "fluff" and details of the larger books. I suggest you get a larger book (like Frommer's Las Vegas 2000) to keep in your hotel room but get the portable book for carrying around with you.

My best friend and I are planning a trip to Vegas (A Thelma and Louise Adventure) and this book was a great source of information! Good eats, places you must visit, sites for deals. Plus it fits right in your pocket!

Don't pass this book up!