Product Review

There's more to Nevada than one-armed bandits, cheap buffets, and Elvis impersonators. From ice ages to expeditions, Paiutes to pioneers, and dams to divorce seekers, Roadside History of Nevada provides an overview of the Silver State. Richard Moreno divides Nevada into six geographical-historical areas, rich and often surprising in detail: Pyramid Lake yielded a world-record 41-pound cutthroat trout; Virginia City housed Mark Twain when he wrote for the Territorial Enterprise; and Lovelock Cave was the site of one of the West's greatest archeological misunderstandings. Survey the boom and bust of the mining industry, trace the desperate plight of the Donner party trapped in Sierra snow, and observe the growth of gambling from low-profile to a neon-castle industry.