reviews

Grandissimo in Literary Las Vegas

Grandissimo has a write-up in the View’s “Literary Las Vegas” section:

Atlantic City native David G. Schwartz has a Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has hands-on experience in the gaming industry. Since since 2001 Schwartz has been at UNLV, where he serves as the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research. The professor, speaker and consultant is also the author of several books on the gaming industry including his newest “Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas: How Jay Sarno Won a Casino Empire, Lost It, and Inspired Modern Las Vegas.”

Literary Las Vegas: David G. Schwartz

There is also a brief excerpt from the book. 

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reviews

John L. Smith talks Grandissimo in the LVRJ

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith recently wrote a column discussing several books that would make great stocking stuffers. Grandissimo was prominent on that list:

In a casino industry bursting with praise for its current ringmasters, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson, Gary Loveman, and Jim Murren among them, it’s possible to forget that it was Sarno who dreamed biggest of all at a time the gambling racket wasn’t exactly for the weak-kneed….Thanks to Schwartz’s efforts, the grand casino ringmaster Jay Sarno will long be remembered.

Tales about Las Vegas make good stocking stuffers

Click through to read the entire list—there are some good ones on it!

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reviews

Grandissimo Reviewed in the Review-Journal

In this morning’s Las Vegas Review-Journal, columnist Jane Ann Morrison shared her thoughts on Grandissimo:

My view is that it’s a great read and a warts-and-all portrayal of Sarno, a dreamer (and a scoundrel) who was the visionary behind Caesars Palace, which reached out to high rollers, and Circus Circus, which went for the mass market, the yin and yang of Las Vegas gaming.

Sarno book reveals good, bad

There’s much more than that, and I encourage you to read the entire column

And you now have one more data point about Grandissimo—it is a good book to read on a flight to China. 

Seriously, it’s gratifying that the book has had such a positive critical reception. I worked very hard to write a book that did three things: accurately reflected Sarno’s life and career; recreated the feel of Las Vegas in the 1960s to 1980s; and was written in such a way that people actually enjoyed reading it. I love that several of the Amazon reviews have variations on the theme of “I couldn’t put it down.” I’m really glad that I was able to relate Sarno’s story in a way that is accessible and engaging.

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