1850 Nevada's Key Pittman, by Fred L. Israel (read 9 May 1984) I found this book quite informative, although it was not consistently interesting. It spends a lot of time talking about Pittman's work for silver, and I basically have never understood silver and the reasons for silver positions. One thing I never knew was that Pittman was a heavy drinker and his performance as a Senator was often affected by his drinking. I presume this was known to many but no one ever printed it in any paper or magazine while he lived. This book does not say one way or the other. I think such information should be made known. Pittman held only one office in his life--U.S. Senator, from 1912 to his death. He was not a great man. ( )