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Inside Las Vegas
Inside Las Vegas, by Puzo, Mario
253 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
3 people are currently reading
470 people want to read
About the author
Mario Puzo
155 books4,849 followersPuzo was born in a poor family of Neapolitan immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. In 1950, his first short story, The Last Christmas, was published in American Vanguard. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955.
At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.
Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.
Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 29, 2025
3.5 stars. Although delightful, because I live in LV, this book is ancient history. Outdated numbers and terminology are rife. An endearing document especially through photographs 🤍🖤🩶🖤🤍
July 22, 2023
I personally do not think that this was Mario Puzo's best work. The writing seemed to be a little rushed and hit points at lackluster times. It seemed that there was just information and no story that was told through his writing. Almost as if we were pit bosses to be as a reader. The spread of the pictures also tended to be in the beginning and unlike other reviews I found them to be lackluster however that may be because I'm a youngster with a spry heart nevertheless I think that book became more overplayed. The ending also seemed shoddy with the insertion of stories about ladies of the night taking up almost 100 pages which seemed unnecessary. However I do think that its dive into the state of gambling and how one becomes a degenerate was insightful and even hearing the writer defend it made me understand how gambling can control you even to the point that you make it your mistress. I will most likely not pick up this book again however I leave it up to you the reader to decide.
June 18, 2012
The pictures alone are worth the price of admission- the writing a mix of both what made Vegas Vegas in the 1970s & today.
June 2, 2012
I would have given this four stars just for the photos.
January 13, 2024
I don't gamble, and my brief visit to Vegas left me... well, I walked down the strip at 9pm on my own and had an autistic shut down.
But I did on my sojourn enjoy a visit to the Mob Museum. One of the reasons I wanted to visit Vegas was a fascination with the 50s and 60s in Vegas, Mob influence and performances by Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. It seemed glamorous with a hint of danger, something I'm sure it wasn't, any more than it is glamorous now (the fake made me rather ill).
Puzo is writing of the 70s in Vegas. According to him, the Mob days were over, Vegas was clean - or at least the gambling was, anyhow. Puzo was a very enthusiastic gambler; his descriptions of how table games work, and how they may be manipulated by unscrupulous gamblers or unscrupulous casino management, were detailed indeed and quite beyond me. I did end up skimming those sections.
But his accounts of the people of Vegas made this am interesting read. Puzo's Vegas is solely the Strip, not the suburbs, not the ordinary lives of its citizens. There are many interesting stories outside the Strip, no doubt, but so what? The residents of the suburbs of Denver and Toledo no doubt have interesting stories too, but they're no more worthy in and of themselves than the "normal" residents of Vegas. Complaints that Puzo ignores the ordinary people of Vegas seem akin to castigating Puzo for not writing of the New Yorkers who aren't involved with the Mob.
The Strip is why people are interested in Vegas. That's what Puzo focuses on. Aside from my distaste of gambling, he has several socio-political views I disagree with, but I am not looking for affirmation of my own beliefs when I pick up a book such as this. (Although he has a refreshingly positive view of sex work and sex workers for a 50 something man in the 1970s). I was entertained, I learned some things and that's what I was looking for. Despite Mr Puzo's big picture view of gambling as an affirming human activity, I'm still not tempted, but I liked this glimpse into a society so alien from my frames of reference
But I did on my sojourn enjoy a visit to the Mob Museum. One of the reasons I wanted to visit Vegas was a fascination with the 50s and 60s in Vegas, Mob influence and performances by Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. It seemed glamorous with a hint of danger, something I'm sure it wasn't, any more than it is glamorous now (the fake made me rather ill).
Puzo is writing of the 70s in Vegas. According to him, the Mob days were over, Vegas was clean - or at least the gambling was, anyhow. Puzo was a very enthusiastic gambler; his descriptions of how table games work, and how they may be manipulated by unscrupulous gamblers or unscrupulous casino management, were detailed indeed and quite beyond me. I did end up skimming those sections.
But his accounts of the people of Vegas made this am interesting read. Puzo's Vegas is solely the Strip, not the suburbs, not the ordinary lives of its citizens. There are many interesting stories outside the Strip, no doubt, but so what? The residents of the suburbs of Denver and Toledo no doubt have interesting stories too, but they're no more worthy in and of themselves than the "normal" residents of Vegas. Complaints that Puzo ignores the ordinary people of Vegas seem akin to castigating Puzo for not writing of the New Yorkers who aren't involved with the Mob.
The Strip is why people are interested in Vegas. That's what Puzo focuses on. Aside from my distaste of gambling, he has several socio-political views I disagree with, but I am not looking for affirmation of my own beliefs when I pick up a book such as this. (Although he has a refreshingly positive view of sex work and sex workers for a 50 something man in the 1970s). I was entertained, I learned some things and that's what I was looking for. Despite Mr Puzo's big picture view of gambling as an affirming human activity, I'm still not tempted, but I liked this glimpse into a society so alien from my frames of reference
June 21, 2024
Fascinating look into Las Vegas circa the 70's with The Godfather author Mario Puzo as your guide. Puzo is most interested by far in the gambling side of things than anything (and the women get an extended look as well), so the scope of this book is fairly personal and narrow, but historically and sociologically intriguing nonetheless. The photographs are worth checking this one out alone.
3.5/5
3.5/5
July 28, 2019
An absolute eye opener. Mario Puzo takes you behind the glitz and glamour of what is Las Vegas to see the shady, immoral practises and tricks to get high rollers to gamble at particular casino chains!
January 8, 2022
I don't gamble and I've never been to Vegas but I loved this book. Great photos too.
January 27, 2014
Mario Puzo era un morto di fame col vizio del gioco, arricchendosi (fra l'altro coi diritti de Il Padrino), divenne un ricco col vizio del gioco. Innamorato del proprio persecutore gli ha dedicato questo libro inchiesta non fiction costituito come un fotoracconto, ballerine, alberghi, gambe, neon, strip, culi, vincenti, perdenti, fibbie, tette e giacche improbabili coi lustrini e tutti i paraphernalia di quel campo dei miracoli per cowboys petrolieri slit-machines e semplici matti che fu Las Vegas prima che le corporation avessero il sopravvento. Nel genere, divertentissimo. I multimiliardari fratelli Binion vestiti che nemmeno il vecchio giornalaio della 32esima, anonimi in cerca di gloria in combinazione total Elvis, solitari motel con solitaria slotmachine, lampi anni '70 che avrebbero turbato i Kiss, ciglia finte da spostare le tende e moquette cos� spessa che la Colt � recuperabile solo con un magnete. Oramai introvabile e irriproducibile, gi� allora molte foto si facevano solo clandestinamente. Se una bancarella ve lo mostra acquistatelo al volo.
December 15, 2007
Can't believe I read this, but found it on ebay and did, indeed, finish it..more of a picture book and a good time capsule of Vegas in the '70's by one of my favorite American writers...
August 24, 2009
A bit dated but great pictures and a cool look at what makes gambling in general, and Las Vegas, in particular, so alluring and addictive and why "beginner's luck" exist(or why we think it does...)
August 3, 2011
we went to Las Vegas for our honeymoon and this book helped somewhat. We quickly realized that Vegas can not be explained by anyone...lol
August 23, 2014
This book is so dated. It is amazing how dated it is. The gambling, the skyline, the show girls, the prostitutes, all dated.
It was a quick read, because the gist of the book is anecdotes.
It was a quick read, because the gist of the book is anecdotes.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews