review

In John L. Smith’s rundown of good Vegas history books, Grandissimo had a positive mention:

Las Vegas has been home to some great characters, and Circus Circus creator Jay Sarno was perhaps the most remarkable. UNLV’s David G. Schwartz tells his story in “Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas: How Jay Sarno Won a Casino Empire, Lost It, and Inspired Modern Las Vegas.” Sarno’s life and style were surely a challenge to describe, and Schwartz did an incredible job.

Books on Nevada’s colorful past, cast of characters make great gifts

I’m grateful to John for the kind words. It’s always validating when your work is well received.

It’s always encouraging to see positive reviews, so I was happy to see that New England gambling blog NETime Gambling gave Grandissimo a nice write-up: 

The book is a wonderful read.  Whether you are a fan of Vegas or gambling history , or even if you enjoy reading about larger-than-life characters, this book will be a tough one to put down once started.  The background of the self-made man who built Caesars is just the beginning of a roller-coaster ride through Jay Sarno’s life

Another Must-Read from Dr. David Schwartz

The reviewer does a good job of summarizing the book, so if you’re on the fence about reading it and want an outside opinion, you might want to click over and see what he has to say.