SOME THINGS SPECIAL

UNLV's Special Collections department is largely devoted to the student and the researcher.

But it does, occasionally, appeal to the general public as well.

The department has nearly 100 books about "how to win at blackjack," which draw tourists who spend their mornings poring over them before blowing their money at local casinos.

It has blueprints for old Las Vegas buildings, which attract engineers and architects, such as those who sought to blow up the Las Vegas Sands in 1996, when it was demolished to make way for The Venetian. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas had the only blueprints for the historic building.

Since it was founded about 40 years ago, Special Collections has built up a considerable trove of manuscripts, photographs, maps and blueprints from the history of Southern Nevada.

Some of its rare books date back to the 17th century -- and are valued in the tens of thousands of dollars and more.

"We're like collectors," said Peter Michel, director of Special Collections. "We're almost like a museum of books. We document every aspect of Las Vegas."

The collection has roughly 40,000 books, 70,000 photographs and millions of pieces of paper.

Among its most prized collections is an extensive number of books about the history of gaming.

The university holds nearly every edition of "Hoyle's Book of Games," the venerable series of books about card games.

It has a first edition of the autobiography of Renaissance Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano, whose fascination with gambling led to his groundbreaking work in probability theory.

"That particular collection of theirs is a premier collection," state Archivist Guy Rocha said. "I don't know of any better collection on gambling history."

All of Special Collections, on the third floor of UNLV's Lied Library, is open to the public, including the gambling history section, which sits prominently on a bookshelf for members of the public to pick up and read.

It boasts a staff of nine people and the state's only fully staffed preservation lab, devoted to repairing pages and books.

The collection's budget, which comes out of the Lied Library budget, varies year by year depending on what books the department chooses to purchase. It spends roughly $5,000 annually just purchasing every book written that year about Las Vegas.

If a rare book comes on the market, however, Michel will ask for funding from donors and the library to purchase the work.

The department's goal is to collect any document about the history of Southern Nevada.

If you've seen any documentary about the Hoover Dam, you were most likely looking at images from UNLV's Special Collections. It has the largest collection anywhere of photos about the dam, its construction and Boulder City, Michel said.

PBS also has used extensively the university's photos for its "American Experience" documentary on the history of Las Vegas.

The university holds original maps and Union Pacific railroad records from the city.

It has numerous original photos of the Rat Pack, including entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr., who did much to promote Las Vegas.

It has original costume drawings from the late Strip show designer Donn Arden, best known as the creator of "Jubilee!" at Bally's.

One of its most prized possessions, housed in a glass case, is a 1601 book about the history of the Spanish conquest of Central and South America and the American Southwest, written by the royal historian of Spain.

The four-volume work is believed to be one of only about a dozen in the world and cost $64,000 to obtain, according to Michel.

Almost all of the items in the university's Special Collections are donated. In the special case of paying for rare books, such as the one on the Spanish conquest, donors usually pony up the money, Michel said.

Longtime residents of Nevada also have donated their personal letters and photographs to the university, which have been used by historians as historical records.

UNLV is just one of many agencies and institutions statewide working to document the history of the state.

The University of Nevada, Reno has a Special Collections department in its library, which holds an extensive series of papers and documents about the state's mining history, American Indian history, and the history of the Lake Tahoe region.

State and county museums and historical societies also collect manuscripts. The state archives office, in Carson City, collects official government records and documents.

But competition between the universities and state agencies for personal papers and pictures is low.

At UNR, for example, manuscripts and archives librarian Jacquelyn Sundstrand said the university will sometimes encourage donors to send their manuscripts to UNLV if the manuscripts are more about Southern Nevada than Northern Nevada.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0440.