Overview
Las Vegas has been largely shaped by a handful of colourful and astute casino operators who turned a dusty desert town into the gaudy, booming holiday mecca that it is today. The essays in this book introduce us to these """"players"""". We discover how early leaders like Cliff Jones, Moe Dalitz and Benny Binion first grasped Las Vegas's potential as a centre for high-stakes gambling, and we read of mobster """"Bugsy"""" Siegel's effort to bring to reality another man's dream of a glamorous resort-casino on a then-remote site at the edge of town. Other visionaries like Jay Sarno, Sam Boyd and Jackie Gaughan helped turn casinos into islands of fantasy, replete with lavish entertainment spectacles. The arrival of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes introduced a new style of corporate management - a style of management since carried on by Kirk Kerkorian and Steve Wynn - to an industry previously led by independent entrepreneurs and their families. In preparing their essays, the contributors consulted a wide range of sources and conducted interviews with many of the surviving players and their families and associates. The result is an informative account of a city's growth through the vision, energy and decisions of some remarkable gambler-businessmen.
Full Product Details
Author: Jack Sheehan
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Imprint: University of Nevada Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.40cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.358kg
ISBN: 9780874173062
ISBN 10: 087417306
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 October 1997
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
The Players is a marvelous look at the history of Las Vegas and the achievements of some of the most insightful and imaginative individuals of the century. --Las Vegas Sporting News The Players represents a biographical portrayal of epic proportions. --Ely Daily Times
The Players represents a biographical portrayal of epic proportions. --Ely Daily Times The Players is a marvelous look at the history of Las Vegas and the achievements of some of the most insightful and imaginative individuals of the century. --Las Vegas Sporting News
""The Players is a marvelous look at the history of Las Vegas and the achievements of some of the most insightful and imaginative individuals of the century."" --Las Vegas Sporting News ""The Players represents a biographical portrayal of epic proportions."" --Ely Daily Times
Author Information
Jack Sheehan, a Las Vegas resident and avid writer, has nine books to his credit, as well as contributed chapters and screenplays. Sheehan received the Nevada Film Commission Award for Outstanding Screenplay for Buddies; The Western States Outstanding Journalist Award for Feature Writing; and the Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Article in the U.S. for his essay, ""The Loneliest Road in America.""
