Books by Hal Rothman

From Yellowstone to the Great Smoky Mountains, America's national parks are sprawling tracts of serenity. This book looks at the new phenomenon of urban parks, focusing on San Francisco's Golden Gate National Recreation Area as a prototype for the 21st century.

This study looks at the American West, transformed by tourism from a land of opportunity to a land of opportunism. Illuminating the darker side of the industry, this work describes how the costs of tourism have challenged the benefits and proven it to be a devil's bargain.

Las Vegas glitters brightly in the vast Nevada desert, a haven for refugees from the ordinary America. This account of America's new dream capital shows how Las Vegas gambled on the post-industrial service economy, well before the rest of the country knew it was coming, and won.