To paraphrase Jacques Martin Barzun, whoever wants to know the heart and mind of the Las Vegas gambler had better learn to visit the Gambler’s Book Shop.

As the proprietor of the venerable, independently operated store near downtown Las Vegas, Howard Schwartz has unique insight into the ever-evolving mind-set of the betting public, especially those gamblers with a bookish bent.

Not surprisingly in these turbulent times, it’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up mind-set of late.

Bettors are down on the NBA, fed up with players they perceive to be overpaid prima donnas: “More than ever before, people are upset with the petulance of the professionals, the fact they get themselves in trouble so often,” Schwartz said. “They’re tired of hearing about all of this bad behavior.”

Sports gamblers are also turned off by the scrutiny — and sometimes the outright rejection — of their would-be wagers by the city’s more paranoid sports book operators: “They get the feeling some casino owners would rather not have a sports book in there at all,” Schwartz said.

Yet enthusiasm for college basketball betting continues to run high, Schwartz said, as reflected in the popularity of the 28th annual Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook (384 pages, $22); Marc Lawrence’s Playbook (320 pages, $34.95); and the statistics-oriented College Basketball Prospectus by Ken Pomeroy and John Gasaway (323 pages, $21.95).

And those basketball bettors who remain interested in the NBA, at least the nonprofessional gamblers, are always hungry for “angles” such as those found in the NBA Power System Workbook published by Pro Info Sports (32 pages, $17.95).

“Of course bodies change in the NBA, coaches change, philosophies change,” Schwartz said. “People won’t hear of it. They say, ‘I want those angles.’ I think they make basketball betting more fun, more enjoyable.”

Schwartz, whose casually tossed-off references are nothing if not eclectic, pointed out one scholarly interpretation of the saga of Sodom and Gomorrah states the cities’ demise came about not so much because of sin and debauchery but because their inhabitants were inhospitable to visitors.

There’s a lesson in there for Las Vegas, Schwartz said before introducing “Superior Casino Guest Service” (65 pages, $77.95) by UNLV graduate Jonathan Helmbold. The book is geared toward corporate training and orientation programs.

“The industry needs more good books like that,” Schwartz said. “If they alienate one big high roller today, they could be losing their main stream of income for a while.”

Demand also exists for a decent book on how to bet on professional golf tournaments and auto racing, Schwartz said. Although some gamblers know how to make a profit in those areas, they’re probably loath to share their secrets considering the betting markets in golf and motor sports are tiny compared with those in football, basketball or baseball.

The overall trend during the economic downturn, however, has been away from how-to gambling manuals and toward historical and biographical works. The latest is “Confessions of a Crossroad Gambler” (180 pages, $14.95) by Jack Newton, who advised Benny Binion, describes his specialty as “cheating other cheats,” and gave his book’s chapters irresistible titles such as “Ceiling Peek, 1962 Wichita Falls” and “The Mexican With the Deformed Hand.”

A living piece of Las Vegas history itself, the Gambler’s Book Shop is anticipating a move in 2009, the store’s 45th year. Schwartz is examining “eight or nine” potential spots in shopping centers and, perhaps surprisingly, hotels.

I was reminded of a catalog of casino-related merchandise I received from Harrah’s a couple of years ago. One of the items was a well-regarded book on how to beat blackjack. Soon before then, I had been kicked out of several casinos owned by Harrah’s precisely for using the strategies espoused in the blackjack book Harrah’s was selling to its customers.

The word “irony” is often misused. For example, I don’t think a black fly in your chardonnay really qualifies. But I could make a strong argument it did apply in this case.

Schwartz acknowledged the apparent conflict.

“A casino owner is going to say, ‘Are we going to allow a bookstore in here that teaches people how to win or slow their losses down?’ ” Schwartz said. “But the other side of it is we bring traffic in, we have 40,000 established customers, and it would be good publicity. We could be a PR arm of the hotel in a sense. So we’ll see.”

The move will surely be good for business, if not for the store’s distinctive character. Previous visits had found Schwartz taking care of an injured bird or kitten. This time, upon the conclusion of an interview, he went out back to check on the status of a paper plate of dry cat food, set out for a neighborhood stray.

It was a scene unlikely to be reprised in a generic suburban shopping center, and one well nigh impossible in a casino resort.

IF YOU GO

What: Gambler’s Book Shop

Address: 630 S. 11th St.

Online: gamblersbook.com

Jeff Haney can be reached at 259-4041 or at haney@lasvegassun.com.