History of Las Vegas: A Captivating Guide to Historical Events and Facts You Should Know About the Entertainment Capital of the World (U.S. History)

Talk about an excellent overview; this book is superb. I don't know how the author did it; this book covers much of the Las Vegas story. There are people, projects, entertainers, gangsters, and a whole host of things that clicked at the right time to turn this sleepy desert town into the megaresort it is today.The two federally-financed programs that gave Las Vegas the transportation, electricity, and water to create today's lush environment started the ball rolling. I've visited Boulder Dam twice, and it is an engineering marvel. The building of this massive project insulated most Las Vegas residents from the full effects of the Great Depression.This book's most exciting fact is how the gangsters departed from the Las Vegas scene. Howard Hughes single-handedly convinced the gambling license boards to allow corporations to own businesses (licenses used to be sold only to individuals). That brought the SEC into overseeing the gambling, which the mobsters didn't want. So, they took a hike.I remember when rooms and food were dirt cheap in Las Vegas while the mobsters ran things. First, they used them as "loss leaders" to get people and families to come. Then, once the corporations took over the casinos, the bean counters (accountants) made every business department pull its weight. Thus, rooms and food prices rose dramatically (except for comps - complimentary gifts to high rollers). No matter how much you think you know about Las Vegas, this book is still eye-opening. The insights into the movers and shakers are fascinating. The author even found time to discuss the biggest draws to Las Vegas:  Liberace, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton, and Sigfried and Roy. This book was exciting and entertaining.

I love this book

Las Vegas, Nevada is both famous and infamous for many reasons. The common, popular image of this city is often one of a place replete with casinos, gambling, lounge singers, and various vices. There, however, much more to Las Vegas, as Captivating History explains eloquently in its latest release.Everything readers could want to know about the eponymous city is included within this book's pages. That it is written in an accessible, engaging way is wonderful. The result is everyone can enjoy learning about Las Vegas.

Fascinating history of the city in the desert. From humble beginnings to mega resort capital of the world. Buy it!

I really enjoyed this book! It was interesting and enjoyable. It had the right amount of details and went back into history before Las Vegas was even a town.

It is a well-written book regarding the evolution and development of the city of Las Vegas. It is well-researched and has a plethora of information.

Modern Las Vegas owes much of its existence to two federal projects: the transcontinental railroad and, seventy years later, Boulder Dam. Without either of those, LV would be a sleepy little desert town, along a highway in the desert, like many others. This book gives the complete history of the area, identifying the visionaries, political climate and financing that allowed Las Vegas to grow into an international destination for gambling and ‘fun’ that it has now become. The history of many of the best-known clubs and venues as well as notable personages, gangsters and entertainers are included.

I really enjoyed this look at Las Vegas, from how it came to be, and to how it is today. The information is extensive, but repetitive at times, since it is in different sections. An index would have been lovely for this reason.All in all, I did learn a great deal and I did have a fun time reading it. I recommend it if you like history.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

There is much more to the history of Las Vegas than I realized. I found this book full of interesting details.

There was not enough detail . That would have been okay if they had a list of recommended reading in the back