To appreciate the evolution of Las Vegas, Nevada--get yourself a copy of Historic Photos of Las Vegas--written by Jeff Burbank and published by Turner Publishing. It is amazing how a once inhospitable, rugged desert region, has turned into the glitzy, glamorous, fun capital of the world. The history is fascinating and the photos reproduced in this book showcase the toughness, creativity, perseverance and tenacity of the early founders of this great city.

The book is divided into four parts; "Rise of a Railroad Boomtown" covering 1904-1910; "Before Hoover Dam: Molding a Desert Community" covering 1911-1929; "Hoover Dam, Gaming, and the Early Las Vegas Strip" covering 1930-1949; and "Modern Las Vegas Takes Shape", covering 1950 - 1969.

Jeff Burbank has done a superb job in finding, compiling and writing the captions for this book, and it does the city proud. A visit to the Las Vegas strip, with this book in hand, is a great experience--especially down around the Fremont Street area. From the pioneer spirit of its founders, to the excitement visitors feel when they first see that famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign at the south end of the "Strip"--this book will take you back to how it was all created. It would be very hard to imagine the evolution of this city without a book like this.

My favorite photo in the book is one of singer Dean Martin on stage at the Sands' Copa Room in 1957. The audience includes Jack Benny, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball--it does transport you back to the "Rat Pack" days. I also love the photo  taken in 1904 at the Stewart Ranch, which shows what Las Vegas was before Helen Stewart sold most of her land to William Clark, a U.S. Senator from Montana, who eventually brought in the rail service that created what is downtown La Vegas today. Take this book along on your next trip to "Vegas", and it will enhance your experience and the wonder of how it all happened.