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Eyewitness Travel Guides
Las Vegas and Beyond: The Ultimate Guidebook
Written for everyone from gambling fans to families interested in the history of the West, this comprehensive guidebook describes not only Las Vegas and its colorful nightlife, but also the attractions of the surrounding countryside. Original.
225 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1992
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About the author
David Stratton
25 books6 followersDavid Stratton was born in 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK. At the age of nineteen he founded the Melksham and District Film Society. He emigrated to Australia in 1963, where he quickly became involved in the local film scene, he was the Director of the Sydney Film Festival for seventeen years.
During his career at SBS, David was the feature film consultant, presenter of movies, and of course co-host of the highly successful The Movie Show with Margaret Pomeranz for a record eighteen years. Since 1983, David had been a film critic for Variety (published in Los Angeles), a commissioner of the Australian Film Commission, a film critic for The Australian and a lecturer in film history at the University of Sydney. He was also the author of THE LAST NEW WAVE and THE AVOCADO PLANTATION.
David had served on several international film festival juries, including the Berlin International Jury (1982); the Montreal International Jury (1982); and the Venice International Jury (1994). He was also President of FIPRESCI (International Film Critics) Juries in Cannes (twice) and Venice. He was a past president of the Film Critics Circle of Australia.
David's long list of awards and achievements include:- 60th Anniversary Medal by the Festival du Film de Cannes (2007)- The Chauvel Award by the Brisbane International Film Festival (2007)- Raymond Longford Award of Australian Film Institute (2001)- Commander of Order of Arts and Letters by French Government (2000). David was also the co-host of At The Movies on ABC TV.
During his career at SBS, David was the feature film consultant, presenter of movies, and of course co-host of the highly successful The Movie Show with Margaret Pomeranz for a record eighteen years. Since 1983, David had been a film critic for Variety (published in Los Angeles), a commissioner of the Australian Film Commission, a film critic for The Australian and a lecturer in film history at the University of Sydney. He was also the author of THE LAST NEW WAVE and THE AVOCADO PLANTATION.
David had served on several international film festival juries, including the Berlin International Jury (1982); the Montreal International Jury (1982); and the Venice International Jury (1994). He was also President of FIPRESCI (International Film Critics) Juries in Cannes (twice) and Venice. He was a past president of the Film Critics Circle of Australia.
David's long list of awards and achievements include:- 60th Anniversary Medal by the Festival du Film de Cannes (2007)- The Chauvel Award by the Brisbane International Film Festival (2007)- Raymond Longford Award of Australian Film Institute (2001)- Commander of Order of Arts and Letters by French Government (2000). David was also the co-host of At The Movies on ABC TV.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 30, 2020
*FAT FINGER UPDATE *
Nothing new added; pushed the wrong button. Move along. These aren't the droids you're looking for.
I'm not sure anything can prepare you for the weirdness that is Las Vegas, but this book takes a good crack at it. Profusely illustrated with pictures and maps. We found the maps of moderate usefulness-the foldout map on the backcover doesn't show enough detail to be helpful except for general orientation. The smaller maps and 3D type drawings were good but you had to keep flipping through pages to find them (looking super touristy).
The upbeat nature of the guide doesn't inform you of the tawdry side of the city: the sterility of the downtown, the homeless, the unfriendliness of many of the locals (apart from the paid for geniality of those in the hospitality industry). Some policemen and bus drivers were particularly rude, strangely enough.
This is maybe just the nature of Las Vegas but the guide dated very quickly. Even with the current year's edition we found that restaurants, attractions, and in one case even a museum were defunct or considerably altered from what was described. There is a section describing some of the popular shows and of course that's subject to change ( although it was still quite useful in our case).
My advice is to use the guide to get an overall picture but check on the web to verify current details. It does a good ( if brief) job on the city's history.
Nothing new added; pushed the wrong button. Move along. These aren't the droids you're looking for.
I'm not sure anything can prepare you for the weirdness that is Las Vegas, but this book takes a good crack at it. Profusely illustrated with pictures and maps. We found the maps of moderate usefulness-the foldout map on the backcover doesn't show enough detail to be helpful except for general orientation. The smaller maps and 3D type drawings were good but you had to keep flipping through pages to find them (looking super touristy).
The upbeat nature of the guide doesn't inform you of the tawdry side of the city: the sterility of the downtown, the homeless, the unfriendliness of many of the locals (apart from the paid for geniality of those in the hospitality industry). Some policemen and bus drivers were particularly rude, strangely enough.
This is maybe just the nature of Las Vegas but the guide dated very quickly. Even with the current year's edition we found that restaurants, attractions, and in one case even a museum were defunct or considerably altered from what was described. There is a section describing some of the popular shows and of course that's subject to change ( although it was still quite useful in our case).
My advice is to use the guide to get an overall picture but check on the web to verify current details. It does a good ( if brief) job on the city's history.
November 30, 2017
Emphasis on The Strip, which is to be expected since it's the main draw of the city and it has a huge amount of things to offer, but that means there's not a whole lot of points of interest for searchers of old pre-corporate Vegas atmosphere, local haunts, and quirky locations. The Strip seems like a busy plastic universe with warped copies of major cities, drunken tourists, and gambling tourists, but on the other hand it's definitely something I want to see for myself and go chuck some grub into me in the cheap buffets.
In general, a concise basic guide with clear thematic sections. Everything is easy to find and DK has included a lot of useful tidbits of anything from gambling tips and game rules to pictures of emergency vehicles and currency. The maps are good and you get a clear view of where the major resort hotels are situated, what their layouts are like and what kind of entertainment they offer (for me, Luxor seems the most interesting), and the comprehensive overview of day trip locations would keep anyone satisfied if the bustle of The Strip starts to feel too overwhelming (a bike ride to the desert sounds fun).
Didn't feed my desire to go back to the 1940s and become a Vegas showgirl, but was nevertheless a good dose of sunshine and glitz for this dark and wet season.
In general, a concise basic guide with clear thematic sections. Everything is easy to find and DK has included a lot of useful tidbits of anything from gambling tips and game rules to pictures of emergency vehicles and currency. The maps are good and you get a clear view of where the major resort hotels are situated, what their layouts are like and what kind of entertainment they offer (for me, Luxor seems the most interesting), and the comprehensive overview of day trip locations would keep anyone satisfied if the bustle of The Strip starts to feel too overwhelming (a bike ride to the desert sounds fun).
Didn't feed my desire to go back to the 1940s and become a Vegas showgirl, but was nevertheless a good dose of sunshine and glitz for this dark and wet season.
June 18, 2018
Reviewed this book for my upcoming trip. This is not my first time going, but it's been years. This was a good overview of the various areas and outskirt places that one can visit. I would recommend it for someone that is unhappy with what they are finding on-line. As an overview it works, describing the South, Mid and North parts of the strip as well as what you can expect to find in each of the bohemoth hotels. There are reasonably good itineraries and options for maps.
December 15, 2011
Not that I plan to go off gambling at any time, reading about and researching Sin City was fun enough. Learning the history and culture was a big fun time and I love the many many hotels that dot the landscape like acne on a freshly new teen. Nevada seems to be a hot place, both sexually and humidity. Pools are everywhere and desert is right in the backyard.
June 19, 2008
DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are THE best travel guides! Perfect, portable size, beautiful picts, and awesome info. THIS is the ultimate travel guide for this area.
Read
August 10, 2011No reason to ever stray from the excellent DK Eyewitness Travel series. This Vegas version includes the Grand Canyon too.
December 23, 2015
Great travelers book!
January 20, 2016
*Maps are ok.
*List of gambling classes
*Good illustrations
*Good lists
*List of gambling classes
*Good illustrations
*Good lists
December 31, 2019
Pretty good guide. I like the sturdy stock used for the cover. The book seems very durable.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews