Writers’ Wednesday – 10/10/18

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

5:00 – 5:30 pm – Book Signing, Wine and Cheese reception
5:30 – 6:30 pm – Lecture

Please join us for an evening with guest author, Stan Paher, who give a wonderful PowerPoint presentation highlighting images of old Las Vegas, including several images not used in his book entitled, Las Vegas: As it began – as it grew.

Book Synopsis:

Las Vegas usually is considered as synonymous with lavish gambling and unabashed night life. These have been emphasized in magazine articles and books, while the town’s varied and colorful past have been overlooked. Here is the first general history of early Las Vegas ever to be published.

During the last century Las Vegas has passed through a metamorphosis from a mere Spanish Trail waterhole in a vast and lonely desert to a religious mission and finally a thriving ranch. After contemporary Las Vegas was founded in May 1905, it developed into a typical Western frontier town and changed into a sophisticated city during distinct boom periods. They were accelerated by dam construction, industrial plants, military aerial training, atomic testing, and resort hotel developments. The reader is led every step along this path of amazing transition in both the text and in a careful selection of unpublished photographs.

Brief Author Bio:

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Stanley W. Paher always has been interested in the development of his hometown and the surrounding desert. Early in the research on this topic he recognized the dearth of material on the town itself.

Though his academic studies did not emphasize history, Paher nevertheless brings to the reader impressive and extensive credentials. He earned a bachelor of arts degree at Sacramento State College in 1965 and a master’s degree in political science in 1969 at the University of Nevada, Reno. His first book, Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps, entered its fifth printing barely a year after it was first printed, and is now a Western classic which received the coveted Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History.

The Writers’ Wednesday Lecture Series, held the second Wednesday of each month, features a different author who takes part in a book signing, a presentation and a question-and-answer session with the audience. A wine and cheese reception precedes the lecture.