I read this book with an open mind - my only prior knowledge of Steve Wynn was that he was the guy that built the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio - the Mirage having ushered in the new era of modern luxury casino hotels in Vegas, and the $1.6 billion dollar Bellagio having upped the ante.
That said, I can see why Steve Wynn fought so hard to prevent this book from being released. Wynn sued the the original publisher and apparently helped force it into bankruptcy.
Any reader of this book will likely come away believing that:
1) Wynn rubbed elbows with mob figures, and may have served as a front man in some of his early dealings, before he accrued enough juice on his own,
2) Wynn leveraged his money-making capacity into a large measure of control over the local and state government and judiciary,
3) Wynn is an egomaniac,
4) Wynn kicks puppies....
You get the idea. Although the book makes a fair attempt at biography, its real purpose is to be an expose'. After 350 pages, it has the effect of beating a dead horse.
Wynn may indeed be all of those things, and certainly some of the things he's accused of could result in the loss of his Gaming License - although it seems Nevada is far too invested in him to ever let that happen. I wish there was a more balanced, well-rounded account of Steve Wynn's story out there.

Contrary to your notice, this book is in print and has been since early October 1995. The book is a quick read and tells a compelling story about the rise of Wynn in the gaming industry. It's tought but fair in its description of him as a creative guy who also is a ruthless business man capable of overcoming many law enforcement investigations of his business and personal life. The author also is under fire in Las Vegas for daring to write about the most powerful man in Nevada.

This book really needed to be written. It's well-documented, impeccably researched, and it's about time somebody stood up to the mighty Steve Wynn and the gambling industry. Where else but Nevada can Wynn and Governor Bob Miller state, in the libel trial on this book, that they recently spent the weekend with Michael Milken, a convicted felon, without anyone taking notice? Book readers, take note! Wynn is placing all his finances into stopping this book from printing. He has already put the publisher of this book out of business. The First Amendment must prevail, and all of us must be vigilant so we don't lose those rights to write and/or read what we please.

Last November, I flew into las Vegas for the first time on a bright, sunny day. I had my nose pressed to the window most of the way, and was in awe of the what lay below. I followed the roads through the desert that led to Vegas and vowed to make the drive myself some day. I couldn't believe my luck when I happened across this book. But, the book left me bored and disappointed. Maybe I was expecting too much, but even the author's reader-friendly prose could not make this an interesting read.

What a letdown. Yes, the prose is decent, and the premise is undeniably attractive but, for anybody who holds the drive to Las Vegas close to their heart, these 3 separate tales of driving across the desert toward that glittery focal point called Sin City will all leave you feeling cheated. Why? Well, most of all, the author TURNS OFF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE GETTING TO VEGAS! How can you leave out the final 5 miles!? If you have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into a casino, what in the world are you doing writing a book with Vegas at its center? Yes, the author shows that he knows the road, and what the various mountains are called, etc., but he obviously has no understanding of what compels most of us to take that road so many times in our lives. Skip this book and spend the money on a tank of gas yourself. This book has no Elvis.

Though published by a university press, this is no dry academic tome. It's an unusally creative attempt to capture the spirit and the meaning of the drive through the desert. Fox writes of three approaches to the archetypal desert city, Las Vegas: from Sante Fe, from Los Angeles and from Reno. His writing is personal, captivating and will make you see the desert (and our paths through it) in entirely new ways.

A hefty volume with a hefty price, that has more paper than information. Much of what is contained in this book is out of date and therefore useless; this includes hours, phone numbers, addresses, out-of-business businesses, local events, and almost anything that might be of interest. It is also poorly organized. Sad to say, we spent a pretty penny on this one, and lugged around the tome, wasting both time and money. In hindsight, I am sure we would have been better off getting one of the many slimmer guidebooks from a host of other publishers available on the market, or even picking up the countless freebies available all around Tahoe. I would strongly caution against wasting good money on this one.

Very complete guide to the entire Lake Tahoe area; but, oftentimes I found the details out-of-date (i.e. prices, hours, etc.). Nonetheless, it's a great guide to activity options and provides a wide range of lodging and restaurants.

This lenghty volume covers all the options at Tahoe, from gambling to hiking, skiing to boating. Includes coverage of much of the surrounding area.

This book had a predictable plot line and stiff characters. The reader is bashed over the head with the character's beliefs. Their Christian beliefs are, of course, good, but that was all that the characters had going for them. I would recommend this book to no one.

The authors actually had a good plotline. Actually it was an excellent storyline. But the characters are so stereotypical. You have the perfect woman whose only fault is naivete. Then you have the evil sister, the perfect hero, and the terrible villain. It would make a great old melodrama. But definitely not great fiction.

This is the first book I've read by these authors and was pleasantly surprised. The storyline took several unexpected turns that kept the reader engrossed in the lives of the main characters. However, it is my opinion that the two main characters were written a little too perfect spiritually, resembling more of how the autors would hope their characters would talk rather than actual realistic human (Christian or otherwise) responses. Hopefully we would all lead our lives in such a focused, unerring Christian attitude, but it would've helped the reader to see these characters struggle in everyday life a little more. Let me hasten to add, however, that the storyline is so intriging and the characters so likeable that I would still recommend it as a very good read.

Written by prostitutes with, evidently, the minds of young children distracted by television....so little insight, so little concrete detail, a narrative that reads as though readers have never heard of prostitution or its attending acts...these are the _good points_ of this very silly publication.

I thought this would be an interesting book. Little did I know that it would be SO POORLY written and edited. If this (or these) lady(ies) were serious about informing the populace on the "ins and outs" of prostitution, they should have had someone with at least a high school education do the writing for them. The "quotes" around so many words were distracting and highly unnecessary. The punctuation and spelling were horrid. Forget it, ladies. NO ONE is going to take you seriously after THIS experience!

Part instruction manual and part memoir, the reader is immersed into the secret world of "Brotheldom" from a bordello worker's point of view. Compiled from the actual writings of former working girls, the writing is crude and honest, neither glorifying nor degrading. Our tour guide spent four years working in the legal Nevada brothels beginning when she was 44. It is through her remembrance of past customers, coworkers, and experiences, she tells us what it is like to live with a diverse bunch of women, competing for customers, sleeping when you can, and while making thousands in the world's oldest profession. The points of view benefit both those curious about visiting, as well as those who are just curious; told in both second and first person. If you can get past the bad syntax, grammatical errors, and lack of organization, the insider info found here could help you save money; these girls know all the tricks, it's their job. The use of quotes around such terms as "blow job" and "gets off" along with 20's style illustrations and a glossary of sexy terms bring a tongue in cheek feel to the book, sure to leave you standing at attention.

This book does a great public disservice. The information in the book has not been updated in years and is terribly outdated. Quite a bit of the information is absolutely wrong. Send the publisher a message - don't buy the book until they update it. Save your money, there are much better, current books out there such as "Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest" & Northwest - which are updated ever two years

The only useful thing about this writer's books on hot springs are the USGS maps and the latitude/longitudes. I bought a book of his nearly 20 years ago and was thoroughly dissatisfied, & was incensed when it seemed to me he was more interested in providing info for the land yacht crowd. I wonder if his book alleging that the lunar landings were hoaxes is any better. I doubt it. He probably denies the Holocaust took place, too. If you want a book on hot springs, check out Jayson Loam's books. They are much better. If you want info on faked lunar landings, get the movie "Capricorn One."

We have tried one hot spring listing and enjoyed our hot soak, found one shut down, one remodeling and one a bit too pricey for us. Would like to see some reference to actual costs rather than than reasonable or free or deluxe. One place inacessible without 4 wheel drive but we will keep trying, the maps are good.

Yes, you read that correctly. This guide is so brittle and dry it's extremely frustrating. The Devil's Postpile area of Mammoth has a trailhead which leads you to heaven, literally. The Agnew Meadows and PCT criss-cross this area and these trails are as beautiful as any place in this hemisphere. Would you know it from this overly technical, ZZZZ-ville narrative? Nope. The authors take a place so astoundingly beautiful and reduce it to just another locale, a sort of ho-hum place you might encounter while strolling in the plains of Kansas. But Mammoth is not just any place, it's a spectacular place, a hiking paradise, a one of a kind wonder!

The map is excellent but doesn't justify the purchase of this book. The map itself is still current, even though it was produced in 1927. The mountains haven't changed, but boy, have the trailheads changed. There is also a shuttle system implemented in the past year and it will cost you $14 per couple to hit these trailhead, unless you want to ride the bus. This is vital information which is not included in this book.

To sum up: see Mammoth and hike it for yourself. Don't put any credence in this outdated, obsolete, dry-as-a-bone book.

This is an above average field guide, but the writing is sometimes so dry that while reading you may feel as if you are hiking through death valley, not Mammoth or the Ritter Range. The map that comes with it is fantastic, although, it comes from the 1920's surveys of the area.

I was disappointed with this book. I found the story so laden with trivial detail that it seemed to lack purpose or direction.

Was hesitant to read after the previous episode. Was pleasantly suprised. Evans made a contribution to this episode. Although the plot was not the greatest I found the edition to be fast moving and entertaining. Could not determine who the true villians were until end. Evans did an excellent job of recalling previous episdoes: The Wendigo, The Stalking Corpse, and The Omaha Tinhorns. Excellent descriptions and depth of characters in addition to graphic descriptions of scenery. Was a pleasure reading this episode.

Would like to see Longarm meet people throughout history as in some previous episodes: Teddy Roosevelt, Gentleman Jim Corbett and U.S Grant.

The Lincoln Brigade fought ON the side of the Communist Left ( Republicans) and participated in the many attrocities such as executions of the clergy, press,ect. They were funded by Eleanor Roosevelt who was a "closet" Communist,trained and sent to Spain to help send Spain into the Soviet orbit.

Interesting, if for no other reason than to see for yourself the nature of the "true believers" of the Left. We now know that Americans participated in Stalin-inspired Trotskyite hunts within the ranks of the International Brigades. While Merriman almost certainly met his end at a Nationalist firing squad, how many American Reds met their end at Merriman's orders? The writing style of the book was in the nature of a justification of a cause that was morally bankrupt, even in the context of fighting fascism. I recommend the book to anyone who wishes to better understand the mindset of liberal thinking . . .

"American Commander in Spain" is a vivid account of the last years in the life of Robert Merriman. The book was written by his wife, who followed Merriman when he went to fight in the Spanish Civil War. The book will not be helpful to the profesional historian, save perhaps a few anecdotes that could link specific historical characters to specific places during the war. The book is also not a novel and cannot be read as a work with high literary intentions. Rather it is an interesting portrait of a man whose life has the special quality of blending reality and legend. Merriman became fiction when Hemingway, who met him during the war used him as the basis for his character Robert Jordan in "For whom the bell tolls." The work will therefore be of most interest to those readers looking for the sources where Literature drinks from Life and with some emotional attachment to the historical context.

...For when one reads about Robert Merriman it becomes clear that he was an american patriot searching for solutions to get his own country out of the Depression and later trying to stop the rise of Fascism in Europe. That his countrymen were so blind then (and it seems still now) cost them dearly in WWII. The insensitivity shown by these reviewers hurts most those of us who look up to the american volunteers in awe, not for their ideological beliefs, but for their sense of sacrifice and love for freedom. It is a sin against Humanity to see Merriman's death any other way. If there is a God and these other reviewers are ever judged, I only hope that all their sins will be remembered.

Poor writing. Inadequate research and documentation. Limited + skewed sample of interviewees.

One would expect this quality from a self-published book.

Lackluster prose. Research Lite. Curious choice of interviewees, to be generous to the author.

Those who know Nye County (NV) better, know better. The real history of Pahrump will probably be written by a hard-working graduate student armed with a tape recorder, a shoestring budget, and keen judgement.

This supposed "history" was ultimately funded by Department of Energy as part of its obiligation to local communities that will be affected by the proposed high-level nulcear waste repository nearby Yucca Mountain. Your tax dollars at work. Ugh....

The University of Nevada Presses don't exactly match Yale's or Harvard's, but you've got to wonder about standards and why they agreed to act as distributor, once this volume and the rest of the series were printed.

An embarrassment all around.

I don't know what the other two reviewers read, but this is one of the better written southern Nevada histories I have read. Well documented, and it exposes some of the more unpleasant parts of Pahrump history.