Mark and I will be leaving for Las Vegas at the start of next week in advance of the US Scrabble Nationals. As I often do before the start of a vacation I like to read about the place I will be visiting, especially if I have any books within my own library on the subject. I acquired Las Vegas in Photographs by Scott Tharler, with photographs by Barrett Adams (published in 2006), several years ago at the Canadian National Exhibition. Whenever I go to the CNE I like to browse the DVD, CD and book stalls because they always offer some kind of ridiculously cheap sales. On one such trip which I remember taking with my late mother, we each got some books, for a price something like $2.50 each or five for $10. I remember that we had chosen four books between us, which would have cost us $10. Knowing that a fifth book would in effect be free, I decided to pick this one.
One would think that such a large-format coffee-table book that even had “photographs” in the title would have the name of the photographer in a prominent place, but Adams had been banished to tiny print in two acknowledgements, while Tharler, who provided minimal text, graced the front cover.
The book was divided into sections such as Downtown, Northern Strip, Central Strip, Southern Strip, East of the Strip, West of the Strip, and Outside Las Vegas. I enjoyed looking at the photos of the Luxor, where I have stayed twice, and once I saw the entrance to the casino it immediately brought back memories of my times there. This book is only seventeen years old yet there are always remarkable changes in this city, which is growing and always reinventing itself.
The Lotus of Siam Thai restaurant was featured in the East of the Strip chapter and given a rave review. Since Mark loves Thai food so much perhaps we will go there.