This excellent book is more of an exotic voyeur's tour of the legal whore houses, actually trailers, of Nevada's brothels than it is a portrait of the prostitutes working in these houses of ill repute. Only a few or the working girls are seen in the book and in those cases they are only blurred fleeting figures, seen from the back working their Internet sites or practically invisible behind barely open blinds and screen covered windows. This is an architectural photographer's color documentation of what is probably a disappearing remnant of the Wild West. The photographer has won numerous Architectural awards including the "Architect's Honor Award." The book's publisher is the Princeton Architectural Press. It's important to know these facts if you are interested in the book, which is masterfully done in every way, but may not be what many potential readers are searching for. The title may suggest more eroticism than is actually in the tome. It's more a fancy coffee table art book designed to peak the interest of guests and spark some interesting before or after dinner conversations. It's contains only a hint of raciness. It's also a dark portrait of decay and human weakness.
Alexa Albert, M.D. writes a very brief introduction to Timothy Hursley's photographic studies of many of Nevada' s working, some now closed, brothels. Alexa Albert wrote "Brothel: Mustang Ranch and It's Women" about her lengthy study of prostitution and public health while attending Harvard Medical School. The books are somewhat like two facets of the same story. One is about the workingwomen, their safe sex practices, and the other is a comprehensive portrait of the same women's places of business. However, the two facets remain totally independent of each other.
"Brothels of Nevada" very much resembles "Love Hotels: The Hidden Fantasy Rooms of Japan" both in style and subject matter, although the Love Hotels of Japan are not brothels and are merely convenient meeting places for lovers from all walks of life.
The rather boring, Spartan, but occasional fancy trailers of Nevada's brothels are only a faint echo of the grand style of the Love Hotels of Japan, which are much more sophisticated and accepted fantasy worlds in every way.