Cool Vegas find - Bauman Rare Books

Most of you know that I loath pretty much everything associated with Las Vegas and am always looking forward to returning home. However, one bright spot this year was discovering Bauman Rare Books on the walk back to my room at the fancy-pants hotel casino where I stayed during my trip to Interbike.

Bauman Rare Books is located in the Shoppppeeeseses at the Palazzo. Most of their neighbors are selling hyper-expensive jewelery or evening wear. This place had infinitely more soul.

Check out a few of my favorite finds below, click on the image to blow it up so that you can read the card that explains why the particular book is so valuable.

First edition of first cookbook printed in Mexico, $8000
I wonder if there are reicipies for Volcano Tacos and Cinnamon Crispas?

Walt Whitman, Leaves Of Grass (1855), limited first edition, one of 795 copies, $175,000

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender Is The Night (1934), signed first edition, $70,000
I liked this one for the dust jacket artwork, it'd make a great poster.

And a couple for the kids:

Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are (1963), signed first edition w/ small sketch of "wild thing", $28,000

Charles Schultz, Happiness Is A Warm Puppy (1962), first edition, $1,500

The staff was very accomodating and was opening the display cases so that some of my coworkers could leaf through the rare books. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to offer next year.