This was in Friday’s RJ, but I didn’t get to post it until today. It’s pretty big news (for the gambling book crowd, anyway), from John L. Smith‘s column:
Gamblers Book Shop owner Howard Schwartz, a legend in the traditional gaming information business, says he’s ready to sell his amazing store after 27 years. Schwartz, 66, purchased it from its original owners, John and Edna Luckman, who started the book shop and publishing company 42 years ago.
The store features nearly 3,000 titles and has an inventory of almost 100,000 books.
“I’d like to pass the baton of colorfulness and integrity to somebody who would really continue this on,” Schwartz said.
Howard (no relation) is such an institution here in the Las Vegas gambling community that it’s hard to imagine the city without him running that store. If you know Howard, you know what I mean.
I don’t know if he’s got a buyer lined up. If not, I can’t think of a better purchase for a hotshot poker whiz who’s got some money to invest in a store that is, itself, part of Las Vegas’s gambling history.
Best of luck to Howard, and best wishes for a happy future for the Gambler’s Book Store.