Book Notices

Cyrus E. Dallin: His Small Bronzes and Plasters.

By KENT AHRENS (Corning, N.Y: Rockwell Museum, 1995 Il l pp. Paper, $22.50.)

This handsome production offers a rich descriptive narrative of Utah's most famous sculptor and many of his works, including (despite limits suggested by the title) some of his monumental figures Most of the forty-four high-quality halftones are of Dallin's creations, reflecting the range of his interest while revealing the extent of his special predilection for Native American subjects. The author does not see Dallin as the equal of August Saint-Gaudens or Daniel Chester French but acknowledges him as "an artist of talent and sensitivity toward his subjects."

Beyond the Mafia: Italian Americans and the Development of Las Vegas.

By ALAN BALBONI (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1996. xx + 168 pp. $27.95.)

Las Vegas existed as basically a railroad town, considered only as the major stop between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, until the Nevada legislature re-legalized gambling in 1931 Gambling transformed the desert oasis, and many Italian Americans pioneered the development of the city. Pietro Orlando Silvagni, a contractor who had constructed the coke ovens in Sunnyside, Utah, built the Apache Hotel, labeled as the most modern and elegant of Las Vegas's hotels in the 1930s and early 1940s. Thus, one aspect of the story of Las Vegas glitter lies in the opportunities afforded to immigrants of all nationalities Economic opportunities abounded, and although organized crime in the broad sense played a role in Las Vegas's storied past, so did the hard work of many Italian Americans in entertainment, gaming, the professions, and business.

Post-World War II Las Vegas experienced the largest growth of Italian Americans As the author notes, "No doors were closed to the ItalianAmerican immigrants in the West" (apparently at least in Las Vegas). In this light, Italians lived and assimilated in a Las Vegas where ethnic communities and organizations proved not as necessary as in other cities. In dealing with the Italian Americans of Las Vegas. Alan Balboni goes "beyond the mafia" to shed light on the roles of Italian American men and women in shaping this unique city's history.