Jack E Sheehan Editor (3 results)

paperback. Condition: Good.

Paperback. Small 4to. Stiff glazed pictorial wrappers. xiv, 224pp. Illustrations. Fine. Superb, tight first edition of this history of Vegas visionary businessmen such as Cliff Jones, Jay Sarno, Jackie Gaughan, Moe Dalitz, Benny Binion and Sam Boyd (1910-93) -- this last of whom's son was instrumental in the writing of this book, signs and inscribes the half-title page large and bold in black fineline: "December 15, 2001 / Thomas, / It has always / been one of my / personal goals to see / that stories about / some of the men who / started our industry / were reduced to writing. / Hope you enjoy reading / it. / Bill Boyd.".

Paperback. Condition: Very Good condition. NOT a library discard (illustrator). First Printing of the First Edition. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1997. Inscribed / Signed by Jackie Gaughan on the first page of the book's chapter about him. Very Good condition (one page corner a little wrinkled). Flat, uncreased spine. From his obituary: "Jackie Gaughan [1920-2014] was a true visionary and the last living 'Founding Father' of Las Vegas. Beginning with the old Boulder Club, he owned and/or operated 11 more casinos in the downtown area - the Pioneer Club, Las Vegas Club, Golden Nugget, Showboat, Union Plaza, Sundance, Nevada Hotel, Club Bingo, Gold Spike, Western Bingo and his beloved El Cortez. Over the years, beside the Flamingo Hotel, he was also licensed for the Tahoe Biltmore, Mispah Hotel, Royal Inn Casino and Barbary Coast. In his lifetime, he was probably the most licensed individual in the history of Nevada. He was also licensed in New Jersey, Mississippi, and Louisiana, as well as Australia." -- Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mar. 15, 2014. From the rear cover: "Las Vegas has been described as 'the last great, mythic city that Western civilization will ever create,' and its brief, phenomenal history has been largely shaped by a handful of colorful and astute casino operators who turned a dusty desert town into the gawdy, booming holiday mecca that it is today. The essays in this book introduce us to these 'players' and outline the decisions that led them and their chosen city unparalleled heights of success. We discover how early leaders like Cliff Jones, Moe Dalitz, and Benny Binion first grasped Las Vegas's potential as a center for high-stakes gambling, and we read of mobster 'Bugsy' Siegel's efforts 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, that have become the norm for subsequent construction in the city, and they began the now-standard practice of mass-marketing the Las Vegas experience to middle America. The arrival of eccentric Howard Hughes introduced a new style of corporate management to an industry hitherto led by independent entrepreneurs and their families - a style of management since carried on by Kirk Kerkorian and Steve Wynn.". Inscribed / Signed by Jackie Gaughan. First Printing of the First Edition. Softcover. Very Good condition. Illus. by NOT a library discard. xv, 224pp. Great Packaging, Fast Shipping.