BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West Hardback - 2014

by Judith Nies

Add to wish list

Reader reviews for Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

Write a review for this book

There are no reviews for this book yet. Be the first to write a review!

Your review will be anonymous unless you login or create an account first.

Overall rating
Remember: You’re rating the book as a work, not the seller or the condition of the specific copy you purchased!

Important Terms and Guidelines

  • Please focus on the book’s content and context. Also, add any personal comments as to how you enjoyed the book. Substantiate your likes and dislikes. You may make comparisons to other books.
  • Reviews must be at least 140 characters in length.
  • Please do not reveal critical plot elements.
  • This is not a help line. Contact customer support if you need help.
Your review must not include:
  • Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other insulting language not suitable for public domain
  • Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers or websites.
  • Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other contact information.
  • Overly critical comments about other reviews or reviewers
  • Time-sensitive material (i.e. promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.)
  • Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information

From the publisher

An epic struggle over land, water, and power is erupting in the American West and the halls of Washington, DC. It began when a 4,000-square-mile area of Arizona desert called Black Mesa was divided between the Hopi and Navajo tribes. To the outside world, it was a land struggle between two fractious Indian tribes; to political insiders and energy corporations, it was a divide-and-conquer play for the 21 billion tons of coal beneath Black Mesa. Today, that coal powers cheap electricity for Los Angeles, a new water aqueduct into Phoenix, and the neon dazzle of Las Vegas.

Journalist and historian Judith Nies has been tracking this story for nearly four decades. She follows the money and tells us the true story of wealth and water, mendacity, and corruption at the highest levels of business and government. Amid the backdrop of the breathtaking desert landscape, Unreal City shows five cultures colliding -- Hopi, Navajo, global energy corporations, Mormons, and US government agencies -- resulting in a battle over resources and the future of the West.

Las Vegas may attract 39 million visitors a year, but the tourists mesmerized by the dancing water fountains at the Bellagio don't ask where the water comes from. They don't see a city with the nation's highest rates of foreclosure, unemployment, and suicide. They don't see the astonishing drop in the water level of Lake Mead -- where Sin City gets 90 percent of its water supply.

Nies shows how the struggle over Black Mesa lands is an example of a global phenomenon in which giant transnational corporations have the power to separate indigenous people from their energy-rich lands with the help of host governments. Unreal City explores how and why resources have been taken from native lands, what it means in an era of climate change, and why, in this city divorced from nature, the only thing more powerful than money is water.

Details

  • Title Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
  • Author Judith Nies
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition 1st
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Bold Type Books, Qh2a
  • Publication date 2014-04-08
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Price on Product - Canadian, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9781568587486 / 1568587481
  • Weight 1.2 lbs (0.54 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 in (23.62 x 16.00 x 3.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Cultural Region: Western U.S.
    • Ethnic Orientation: Native American
    • Geographic Orientation: Arizona
    • Geographic Orientation: Nevada
    • Locality: Las Vegas, Nevada
    • Topical: Ecology
  • Category History - U.S.
  • Library of Congress subjects Las Vegas (Nev.) - History - 20th century, Southwest, New - History - 20th century
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2013048336
  • Dewey Decimal Code 979.313

Media reviews

Citations

  • Kirkus Best Nonfiction, 12/01/2014, Page 39
  • Kirkus Reviews, 03/15/2014, Page 0
  • Publishers Weekly, 03/24/2014, Page 0

About the author

Judith Nies is the award-winning author of three nonfiction books -- The Girl I Left Behind: A Personal History of the 1960s, Nine Women: Portraits from the American Radical Tradition, and Native American History: A Chronology, which won the Phi Alpha Theta prize in international history. Nies's journalism, book reviews, and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Orion, Harvard Review, Women's Review of Books, and American Voice. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Back to top↑

More Copies for Sale

Show all copies
Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bold Type Books, 2014. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Judith Nies

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
2
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
PublicAffairs, 2014. Hardcover. Very Good. Disclaimer:Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Judith Nies

  • Used
  • as new
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
3
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
PublicAffairs, 2014. Hardcover. As New. Disclaimer:An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact; pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bold Type Books, 2014. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.76
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
Better World Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$11.83
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
PublicAffairs. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.83
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City : Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
2
Seller
Better World Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$11.83
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
PublicAffairs. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.83
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Edition
Illustrated
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
Ergodebooks
Item price
A$13.84
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bold Type Books, 2014-04-08. Illustrated. hardcover. Used: Good. 6.50x1.25x9.50. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$13.84
Free Delivery to USA
Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
Lexington Books Inc
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$14.31
A$8.44 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bold Type Books, 2014-04-08. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Contents are tight and clean
Add to wish list
Item price
A$14.31
A$8.44 Delivery to USA
Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Judith Nies

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardback
  • first
Condition
Excellent
Edition
1st Edition 1st Printing
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
Charles Berry, Bookseller
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$17.61
A$6.16 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Nation Books, 2014. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First printing (complete number line) hardcover and dust jacket in excellent, unmarked, unread, next-to-pristine condition (slightest hint of handling). The DJ is protected by a new, clear, removeable cover. 292 pages. [1.2 lbs]
Add to wish list
Item price
A$17.61
A$6.16 Delivery to USA
Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West
Stock photo: cover may vary

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Nies, Judith

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781568587486 / 1568587481
Quantity available
1
Seller
GETITBOOKS
Item price
A$39.54A$27.69
Save A$11.85
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bold Type Books, 2014-04-08. hardcover. New. 6x1x9. May have light shelf wear due to storage and handling
Add to wish list
Item price
A$39.54A$27.69
Save A$11.85
Free Delivery to USA
Show all copies
Back to top↑

Please wait a moment while we load the requested page.