Vegas Gold

An evocative, glamorous look at the golden years of Las Vegas, captured in more than 125 lush color and black-and-white photographs.

The playground in the desert built by the mob and transformed by Howard Hughes, the "fabulous, extraordinary madhouse," that is Las Vegas, Nevada, has long been regarded as the Entertainment Capital of the World. During the post-war boom years, no place was as fascinating as Vegas. Distinguished by millions of colorful neon lights, the sounds of rhumba music, and the clink of silver dollars, Vegas was a recreational colony for Hollywood’s most glamorous and a dream destination for thousands of ordinary Americans.

Vegas Gold vividly showcases the glitz, glamour, and charm of Sin City’s golden years, from the 1950's to the 1980's. An adoring ode to this ultimate adult playground, it celebrates the best of old Las Vegas the Sands Hotel, the Stardust, Fremont Street, the Golden Nugget, the Riviera Hotel, the Desert Inn, and the Horseshoe and its legendary headliners, including Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich, Elvis Presley, Liberace, Ann-Margret, Sammy Davis Jr., Eartha Kitt, Noel Coward, and of course, the gorgeous Vegas showgirls.

Framed by quotes and short essays that profile the marquee names that made Las Vegas the ultimate destination, the legendary years of this magical city live on in all their glory in Vegas Gold.

About the Author

Australian-born David Wills is an author, independent curator, photographic preservationist, and editor who has accrued one of the world's largest independent archives of original photographs, negatives, and transparencies. He has contributed material to many publications and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Wills has produced a series of photography exhibitions based on images from his archive.

His shows include Murder, Models, Madness: Photographs from the Motion Picture Blow-Up; Edie Sedgwick: Unseen Photographs of a Warhol Superstar; Blonde Bombshell; James Bond; Women with Issues: Photographs from the Motion Picture Valley of the Dolls; and Warhology. Wills's books include Ara Gallant; Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis; Audrey: The 60s; Hollywood in Kodachrome; and Seventies Glamour. He is also the co-author of Veruschka. His books and exhibitions have received major profiles in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, American Photo, Vogue, Interview, and Time.

He has also written articles on photography and popular culture for publications including the Huffington Post, V Magazine, and Palm Springs Life.