Review of Las Vegas Then and Now

Title:

Las Vegas Then and Now

Author:

Su Kim Chung

Publisher:

Thunder Bay Press

Date:

2002

ISBN:

1-57145-853-0

Pages:

144

Price:

$17.98

Reviewed by Nick Christenson, npc@lvrevealed.com

July 27, 2003

Here is the premise for the "Then and Now" book series: As we open to the interior of the book, on the left page we have an old photograph of some significant site. On the right page we have a contemporary version of the same picture or very similar photograph. In this volume the images are of the city of Las Vegas, a city that seems to try to forget its own rich history.

Many of the pictures included are of city and state historical sites, including the original Mormon mission, Fremont street, and the Clark County courthouse. There's a lot more to Las Vegas than just casinos, and the real history of this city is well represented in this volume. The "before" photographs are generally in excellent condition, and they're reproduced beautifully in this book.

Of course there are casino pictures, including great shots of the Golden Gate downtown (the site of the first hotel in town), the Plaza at the site of the Union Pacific railroad station, Caesars Palace out on the strip, and the historic Moulin Rouge north of downtown. One of my favorite sets of pictures are of the El Cortez taken in the 40s and again 2002. If the cars and background buildings were cropped out, it would be hard to tell the difference between the two photos. As far as I can tell, all the current signage was present when the casino opened. Wow.

Sometimes, but rarely, the perspective from which the "after" picture is taken is significantly different from the "before". Usually, this is to obtain a better view of today's site, as in the photographs of the UNLV campus, in order to fit the current expanse within a single frame. Often this is due to necessity, the "before" picture may have been taken from the top of a building that no longer exists or from the center of the intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard, a site that would be difficult to photograph from today.

About my only suggestion for improving the book is that it would have been interesting to know the technical details of each photograph, at least for the contemporary photos. It would be fun to learn what format, lens, film, shutter setting, etc. was used. Overall, though this is just a beautiful collection of 70-odd photograph sets that are both fabulous to look at and of significant historical interest. This is a wonderful book to look at for those with an interest in this great city, and a copy belongs on the coffee table in every Las Vegas home that will entertain guests. If the subject of the book sounds at all appealing, this book will not disappoint.

Capsule:

Las Vegas Then and Now is a collection of beautiful old photographs paired with contemporary shots of the same location, generally from the same vantage point. This is both a beautiful book and a wonderful historical record. Readers who think they might appreciate the book's subject matter will almost certainly enjoy this book. As a student of Las Vegas history, I loved this book.