Lyle Stuart

Lyle Stuart (August 11 1922 – June 24, 2006) was an American independent publisher of controversial books. A former part owner of the original Aladdin Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas he was considered a noted gambling authority, and, as such, he advised casinos on how to protect themselves from cheats and cons. A garrulous raconteur, Mr. Stuart had a wide circle of friends, freely admitting to a lively sex life and was fond of gambling, baccarat and craps, his games of choice. His best selling books on gambling are Casino Gambler for the Winner, Winning at Casino Gambling, and Lyle Stuart on Baccarat. He boasted in "Casino Gambler for the Winner" that he'd won $166,505 in 10 consecutive visits to Las Vegas.

He made headlines in 1997 with his then-current Barricade Books, by reissuing "The Turner Diaries", thought to have been the inspiration behind the Oklahoma bombing. He was a strong advocate of freedom of the press, and believed it was important for people to be able to read and make up their own minds (in the introduction he wrote to his reissue of "The Turner Diaries", he made clear how strongly he opposed the viewpoint expressed in the book). Also in the Nineties, casino mogul Steve Wynn sued Stuart over catalog copy. The copy on "Running Scared", a Wynn bio, made reference to a New Scotland Yard that tied the Las Vegas tycoon to the Genovese Crime Family. (The book refuted some of the report's findings.) Stuart lost the libel case and was ordered to pay 3 million dollars in defamation, forcing him into bankruptcy. This judgment was overturned on appeal by the Nevada Supreme Court in 2001 and sent back for a new trial, which Wynn chose not to pursue.

Stuart first gained notoriety by taking on Walter Winchell in a series of scathing magazine articles, and he worked as a newsman for many years before beginning his book publishing company. After serving with the United States Merchant Marine and the Air Transport Command in World War II, he worked for William Randolph Hearst's International News Service, "Variety", Music Business, and RTW Scout.

In 1951 he launched a monthly tabloid named "Exposé" (name later changed to "The Independent") designed to publish those stories and articles that others wouldn’t dare publish because they might offend subscribers or advertisers. Contributors included Upton Sinclair, Norman Mailer, George Seldes, Ted O. Thackrey, and John Steinbeck. In 1956, with $8,000 of the money he collected from libel actions against Walter Winchell, "Confidential", ABC-TV, and "Editor & Publisher", he began his book publishing company, Lyle Stuart Inc (which is now owned by Kensington Books).

Mr. Stuart's first wife, Mary Louise Stuart, died in 1969.He remarried in 1983 and is survived by his wife, Carole Livingston Stuart, by a son, musician Rory John, of Pomona, N.Y.; a daughter, Sandra Lee Stuart of Denver; a stepdaughter, Jennifer Kern of Manhattan; and three grandchildren. Stuart died on June 24, 2006 at age 83. [cite web| url = http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/stuartobitx/| title = Lyle Stuart, Frank Edwards’ Publisher, Dies on June 24th | accessdate = 2006-08-19| last = Coleman| first = Loren| date = 2006-06-26| publisher = cryptomundo.com] [cite web| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062701683.html| title = Controversial Publisher Lyle Stuart, 83 | accessdate = 2006-08-19| last = Schudel| first = Matt| date = 2006-06-28| publisher = Washington Post] He was a resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey. [Ramirez, Anthony. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/26/arts/26stuart.html "Lyle Stuart, Publisher of Renegade Titles, Dies at 83"] , "The New York Times", June 26, 2006. Accessed November 4, 2007. "He was 83 and lived in Fort Lee, N.J."]

Bibliography

*God Wears a Bow Tie (1950)
*Inside Western Union (1950)
*Inside The FBI (1967)
*The Rich and the Super-Rich (1968)
*Naked Came the Stranger (1969)
*The Anarchist Cookbook (1970)
*The Sensuous Man (1971)
*Jackie Oh! (1978)
*Casino Gambling for the Winner (1978), ISBN 978-0818402678
* (1984)
* (1987)
*Winning at Casino Gambling (1994), ISBN 978-1569800126
*Lyle Stuart on Baccarat (1997), ISBN 978-1569801055 ISBN 0818407174

References

External links

* [http://www.lermanet2.com/scientologynews/nytimes/lyle-stewart.htm Lyle Stuart's Open letter in the New York Times] 1988-01-03
* [http://www.publishersweekly.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA170912&publication=publishersweekly Publishers Weekly on Nevada Supreme Court verdict] 2001-10-08