Book captures Nevada spirit

Columnist uses humor to celebrate the Silver State

Marilyn Melton and Guy Clifton in front of the old Reno Arch, now on Lake Street at the Truckee River.

You know you're a Nevadan if:

You've ever gone out of state and been astonished that no stores or restaurants are open past 10 p.m.

You've ever seen the name of a former brothel worker on your election ballot.

You remember when Howard Hughes had the top floor of the Desert Inn.

Such are some of the items author and Reno Gazette Journal columnist Guy Clifton uses as a sort of locals' litmus test in his new book "You Know You're a Nevadan If ... II," published by the Nevada Humanities.

It's the second volume of "You Know You're A Nevadan If." The first was published in 2002, sold out and is now in its third printing, Clifton said.

"The reaction to the first volume was so overwhelming," he said. "People were coming up to us saying, 'You should have put this in that book.' So we knew right away that we needed to do a second one."

But Clifton didn't originally set out to compile book-length lists of ways to know you're a Nevadan. They sprang instead from a decision he made soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to dedicate one of his regular columns to making people feel good and giving them a sense of pride about being from Nevada.

"It was a little feel-good column of funny items, signs you might be from Nevada," Clifton said. "I invited readers to send me their own items."

He described the response as "phenomenal."

"I got hundreds of e-mails, phone calls and letters," he said. "That was four years ago. Not a week has gone by since then that I haven't gotten a phone call or something related to the column."

So Clifton compiled readers' suggestions, and Reno artist Marilyn Melton created illustrations for a book. They asked former Nevada Gov. and Las Vegas Sun Executive Editor Mike O'Callaghan to write the foreword. He completed it just months before his death last year.

Profits from the books' sales go to the nonprofit Nevada Humanities, which develops and funds humanities-related programs around the state.

"It's our way of helping out Nevada Humanities, which does such great work," Clifton said.

Though the bulk of the second book's roughly 400 entries deal with the northern and rural parts of the state, there also are many Las Vegas-specific items letting you know you're a Nevadan if:

You are proud to have Oscar Goodman as your mayor.

You were entertained by the real Elvis when he was king of the Vegas showrooms.

You remember Las Vegas when there was no Steve Wynn.

There's a reason behind the scope of the entries.

"We wanted to be more inclusive of the whole state," said Melton, whose illustrations in the book depict prominent Nevadans.

"We kind of have three Nevadas: southern, northern and the rural. We're trying harder to make it appeal to everyone in the state."

Melton said the books' popularity stems from triggered memories.

"People just have the best time sitting around the kitchen table saying, 'Oh, I remember that,' " she said.

Clifton said another volume is a definite possibility, and he's already collecting ideas.

"People ask if we're going to put out a third one. This one took two years; we imagine it'll be about the same for the next one."

"You Know You're a Nevadan If ... II" sells for $7.95 and can be purchased from Nevada Humanities at 800-382-5023.