Advance Praise for At the Sands

David G. Schwartz has written a fun and engaging account of the Sands Casino which is also a fascinating review of the history of the Las Vegas Strip for the second half of the twentieth century.  Using the Sands, one of the best known of the classic properties, home of the Rat Pack (not Frank Sinatra’s favorite name – read the book and you will learn why), and a great exemplar of the rise and fall of automobile-oriented casino design, Schwartz provides an accessible account of the growth of classic casinos and their changes, from a total reliance on gaming to the rise of conventions.  I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand Las Vegas.

Using the Sands, home of the Rat Pack (not Frank Sinatra’s favorite name–read the book and you will learn why), David G. Schwartz provides an accessible account of the growth of classic casinos and their changes, from a total reliance on gaming to the rise of conventions.  I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand Las Vegas.

–Mark Hall-Patton, Museums Administrator, Clark County Museum System

***

David Schwartz has done it again, singlehandedly bringing back the golden era of Las Vegas with his lively and well-researched history, At the Sands. In its pages you’ll get to know the real characters behind the rise of one of the Strip’s great carpet joints. Although it’s best known as the home of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, behind the curtain at the Sands strolled a parade of Runyonesque characters and some of the underworld’s most notorious names.

Don’t take my word for it. Pour yourself a double, put on some Dino, and prepare to be very entertained.

— John L. Smith, author of Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn

***

To tell the story of modern Las Vegas through the lens of one Strip resort, the best option would be the Sands. And the best writer for this particular task would be gambling historian David Schwartz. At the Sands is a perfect combination of subject and storyteller. Schwartz captures it all: the mobsters behind the scenes, the legendary executives who made it a success, the rampant racism and sexism of the city’s supposedly golden era, and the implosion that ended it all. The gang’s all here, from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. to John F. Kennedy, Howard Hughes and the Copa Girls. This thoroughly researched history is a valuable addition to the growing shelf of vital books about Las Vegas.

–Geoff Schumacher, Vice President of Exhibits and Programs, Mob Museum