Craftily arranged nouns, verbs, and more.
Well, I’m in one of my periodic “I’m tired of writing about gambling issues” moods now. I want to see how long I can go before giving in and writing a post about casino expansion or new technology or something. Instead of blogging about Massachusetts casino prospects or lottery revenues today, I’m going to share […]
Critiquing community theater Read More »
writingAnd it’s still absolutely free! You’ve got to nothing to lose, so download it today: Winslow’s 11 Guide: Las Vegas 2007 This is the only guide to Las Vegas to reference both Blue Velvet and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Does that pique your curiosity?
LV guide STILL out! Read More »
life in vegas, what's new, writingIf you haven’t read enough about Las Vegas, today is your day: I’ve posted my quick but (hopefully) useful travel guide to this site. It’s written under my pen name Will Winslow. Read this clip for the details: In addition to writing fine books and articles on gambling history, opinion, and current issues, Dr. Schwartz
New Vegas guide out NOW! Read More »
life in vegas, writingI think this is, indeed, the vaguest book title I’ve seen: Amazon.com: Miscellaneous Studies; a series of essays: Books: Walter Pater Worse yet, there’s no review material–even a blurb from the publisher–to give you an inkling of what the book is about. Maybe I should call my next book “Words Arranged in a Coherent and
Vaguest book title yet, and something coming soon Read More »
writingIn publishing news, I got my copy of the Encyclopedia of Urban History today. If you’ve got $300 burning a hole in your pocket and don’t want to get 15 copies of Roll the Bones, you might want to pick it up. Or you could just see if your nearest university library has a copy.
Urban encyclopedia Read More »
writingIf you live in the New York area and have long been curious about Roll the Bones but haven’t gotten around to buying your copy yet, you don’t have to wait any longer. While I was in town yesterday, I had an impropmtu signing at Borders Columbus Circle. When I walked into the store, there
Hey, I didn’t say it: the VegasTripping.com editors did. Roll the Bones won the Editor’s Choice 2006 Trippie Award for Best Book. Here’s what they had to say about it: Modern gambling has evolved into a set of experiences that are defined by legalized numbers rackets (lotto/scratchers), casino gambling, and race betting. ‘Roll The Bones’
The best book in Vegas Read More »
writingI’ve gotten another really positive review of Roll the Bones. This one appeared in the Motley Fool, and considers the book’s utility for investors: The ruffle of shuffled cards, the muted rumble of thrown dice, the dings of slot machines. The sounds of gambling are all over, with casinos found within a reasonable distance of
A foolish review of Roll the Bones Read More »
writingIf you’ve been a regular reader, you should know that my latest book Roll the Bones came out last month. It’s a comprehensive history for the general reader (in other words, not a “dry” (boring) academic monograph). It’s been getting some nice press–check out the Reviews page to see thumbs-up reviews from everyone from the
Win a signed book! Read More »
what's new, writingThose of you who were at the World Series of Poker last summer might have seen the booth for Poker Face 2. For those who didn’t, here are some excerpts of story in the Baltic Times explains a bit about the photog and the book: In November 1983, Ulvis Alberts, a photographer who had snapped
Behind Poker Face 2 Read More »
writingHere’s today’s Roll the Bones update: the long-anticipated East Coast book launch event has finally been announced: WHAT: Official East Coast launch event, Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling WHEN: Sunday, October 22, 2 pm WHERE: Foxwoods Resort Casino WHO: Author David G. Schwartz will be reading from his book, answering questions, and signing
Rolling in the East Read More »
what's new, writingIn what will hopefully be the first of three, I’ve got a new review up in, predictably, the review section. It’s about an excellent, excellent novel called God Doesn’t Shoot Craps: The book is the story of Dante Alighieri “Danny” Pellegrino, a direct mail scam artist, who earns his bread from peddling holy water, chunks
Craps, faith, and paradise Read More »
writingIf you need more 3rd-party Roll the Bones info, amazon.com now has enhanced content, including editorial reviews. It’s also available from Barnes and Noble at bn.com now. And if you’re just a library browser, the book is already in the Library of Congress catalog, even though there aren’t any bound copies available yet.
I’m late in posting today because I spent much of the morning doing a stint on KNPR’s State of Nevada–check the link for the details–and recording a few commentaries that will air at a later date. One of them is an elaboration (no, it’s definitely not a rehash) of my thoughts on spelling bee betting,
From 06/06/06 to 10/05/06 Read More »
what's new, writingHere are a few famous books about gambling that I happen to have on my bookshelves, translated into Japanese then retranslated into English: Strike the dealer Come having under the house The probability for me In world book of the largest blackjack Blackjack of dollar of 1000000 And here’s a classic from Robert F. Kennedy,
More translating fun Read More »
writingit’s been a while since I looked at the amazon.com page for Cutting the Wire. According to something called the Fog Index, it’s pretty hard to read–only 6% of books are harder. But at 5,247 words per dollar, it’s a huge bargain. I also manage to use the word “gaming” 724 times, and “fight” 61
Doing research for Roll the Bones, I’m increasingly coming to believe that gambling truly is everywhere in history. This excerpt from a Tarzan story, for example, references lots, card sharps, and a specific cheating technique, all in a few melodramatic paragraphs. “It is the will of the majority,” announced Monsieur Thuran, “and now let us
The lottery of death!?! Read More »
gambling & culture, writingThe day has arrived…after about a year of research and writing, I’ve finished the first draft of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. What does this mean for you, the reader? A chance to do some more reading. Gotham will be bringing the book out next June, so if you’ve ever bemoaned the lack
The bones have been rolled Read More »
writingYou can’t read it yet, but you can pre-order it from amazon.com at an incredible price: $16.47 for all 296 pages. Of course, if you want to buy the hardcover for $49.95, I’m not going to stop you. It’s still under construction, but you can check out my very own Cutting the Wire section to
Cutting the Wire is here (virtually)! Read More »
writingThose of you who are familiar with urban history and crime history should know the name of Eric Monkkonen, who was a giant in the field. He was also my dissertation committee chair, and someone without whom I wouldn’t have gotten my degree. he recently passed away, and I think that this obituary sums up