Barbara G. Brents, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Sociology and Faculty Affiliate in Women’s Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Crystal A. Jackson, M.A., is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Kathryn Hausbeck, Ph.D., is Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate College and Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

• 1. Introduction: The State of Sex 2. Contexts of Sexual Commerce 3. The Making of Nevada Prostitution 4. The Business of Selling Sex 5. Paths to Brothel Work 6. Brothel Labor: Making Fantasies 7. Conclusion: Learning from Nevada

'Drawing upon a decade of qualitative research in Nevada's legalized brothel system, this collaborative effort by Barbara Brents, Crystal Jackson, and Kathryn Hausbeck fills a void in contemporary sociological research on sex work.''[O]riginal and very interesting empirical material''The State of Sex constitutes a welcome addition to contemporary sociological treatments of commercial sex and a much needed examination of Nevada's burgeoning leisure industry.'-Elizabeth Bernstein, Columbia University in Contemporary Sociology, vol. 40, no. 3