Abrams, Elliott,UNDUE PROCESS, New York, Free Press, The gripping personal account of a man caught in one of the most disturbing developments in recent American politics--the criminalization of political differences. 243 pages
Allen, C.F. & Portis, J., THE COMEBACK KID: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF BILL CLINTON, New York, 1992, Birch Lane Pub., A campaign biography and an intensely appealing personal story, full of early tragedy, youthful misjudments, and ultimate triumph. 294 pages
Bhide, Amar, OF POLITICS AND ECONOMIC REALITIES: THE ART OF WINNING ELECTIONS WITH SOUND ECONOMIC POLICIES, New York: Basic Book, Inc., Publishers, 1983--An opinion of what does and does not make "good" politics. Documents with facts that more spending does not mean more votes and urges candidates to use the markeplace of ideas and campaign on the will of the people. 230 pages
Black, Earl & Merle, THE VITAL SOUTH: HOW PRESIDENTS ARE ELECTED, Harvard, Concentrating on elections since the Great Society epoch, combines political narrative, analysis and anecdotes and offers insight into both the dynamics of presidential campaigns within the South and the impact of the region on national elections. 400 pages
Brownstein, Ronald, THE POWER AND THE GLITTER:THE HOLLYWOOD-WASHINGTON CONNECTION, Pantheon,1990--Traces the connection that has radically transformed American political culture, from the little-known threesome of movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, news mogul William Randolph Hearst, and Herbert Hoover, to Warren Beatty and Gary Hart. 437 pages
Canon, David, ATHLETES AND ASTRONAUTS, Univ of Chicago Press, 1990--A study of the "amateurs" in the United States Congress--those congress-persons whose election to the Senate or House was their first experience with elective office. 180 pages
Cramer, Richard Ben, WHAT IT TAKES: THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE, Random Pub., Focuses on candidates in the 1988 presidential campaign--including George Bush--using novelistic detail to provide a startlingly intimate glimpse at what makes individuals run for the office and what makes them run the way they do. 1047 pages
Elkin, Stephen L., CITY AND REGIME IN THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, Chicago, 1987--A Study of politics in cities and towns, considers topics including the workings of political institutions and the political judgment necessary to reform local governments. 220 pages
Erickson, Paul. REAGAN SPEAKS:THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MYTH, New York Univ Press, 1985--An engaging critique of one of the most persuasive political speakers of modern times, analyzes how he reduced complex issues into simplistic allegories to convince and cajole an easily manipulated American public. 172 pages
Goldwin, Robert A., POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE EIGHTIES, American Enterprise Institute, 1981--Essays on topics related to party reforms and their impact on the election process, including the expanded role of primaries and the news media as a factor in the presidential selection process. 152 pages
Hirsch, Alan, TALKING HEADS: POLITICAL TALK SHOWS AND THEIR STAR PUNDITS, New York, St. Martin's Press, 1991--Lawyer and media anlalyst Alan Hirsch examines talk shows past and present, from the early days of SEE IT NOW to CROSSFIRE, FIRING LINE andTHE MCLAUGHLIN GROUP, lays bare the disturbing truth--the fundamental lack of substance in political commentary. 230 pages
Jamieson, Kathleen Hall, DIRTY POLITICS, Oxford Pub., An eye-opening look at political ads and speeches in the age of modern media, case-by case analyses show how the candidates and the media fail to address substantive issues and instead focus on who is winning the campaign strategy battle. 325 pages
Jacobson, Gary, THE POLITICS OF CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS, Scott, Foresman--Considers incumbency, presidential coatials, and strategic politics in a timely and persuasive treatment that shows how the way in which Congress is elected produces individual responsiveness but collective irresponsibility. 249 pages
Jones, G & Marini,J, THE IMPERIAL CONGRESS, New York, Pharos, 1988--Washington Experts alligned with the Heritage Foundation take a revealing look at what they term the constitutional crisis posed by congress and offer their suggestions for ending legislative gridlock. 366 pages
King, Larry, ON THE LINE: THE NEW ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE, Harcourt Brace Pub., Discusses the influence talk shows had on the pivotal presidential race of 1992, with lively anecdotes about the candidates off-air comments,dealings with campaign managers, spokespeople and strategists, and more. 200 pages
Ladd and Lipset, THE DIVIDED ACADEMY: PROFESSORS AND POLITICS, Norton & Co.,1976--Presents a detailed profile of the political orientation of faculty members of American colleges and universities in exploring whether they deserve their reputation as a bastion of liberal thinking and influence. 351 pages
Lurie, Leonard, PARTY POLITICS: WHY WE HAVE POOR PRESIDENTS, New York: Stein and Day, Publishers, 1980--
Merriam and Makower, TREND WATCHING, Tilden Press, 1988--How to apply the techniques of content analysis to print and broadcast news to create a persuasive rationale for product or political decision. 210 pages
Moore, David W., THE SUPERPOLLSTERS: HOW THEY MEASURE AND MANIPULATE PUBLIC OPINION IN AMERICA, Four Walls Eight Windows Pub., Takes a frank look at the people who claim to tell us what we think, profiling pollsters including Shere Hite, George Gallup, Lou Harris, and Richard Wirthlin, and offering an overview of the history of polling. 388 pages
Morris, Celia, STORMING THE STATEHOUSE: RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR WITH ANN RICHARDS AND DIANNE FEINSTEIN, Scribners-- An insider's look at the run for office of two of the most remarkable women in public life. 308 pages.
Polsby and Wildavsky, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIES OF AMERICAN ELECTORAL POLITICS, Eighth Edition,Free Press, 1988--An analysis of the contemporary strategies of American electoral politics, synthesizes research on political parties, election financing, the primaries, conventions, and campaigns, to show how the President is chosen. 440 pages
Ranney, Austin, THE PAST AND FUTURE OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES, American Enterprise Institute, 1980--Papers from a 1980 forum on TV debates, includes analyses of the Nixon-Kennedy debates, the Ford and Carter debate strategies of 1976, and related topics. 226 pages
Ranney, Austin, THE AMERICAN ELECTIONS OF 1980, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC 1982--What happened in the 1980 elections, how it happened and why it happened are explained in detail by the eleven authors of this volume. 390 pages
Renstrom, Peter G., THE ELECTORAL POLITICS DICTIONARY, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 1989--Seeks to overcome the confusion through careful writing of thorough accurate definitons for the central concepts, institutions, and events that comprise the basic knowledge of this field. Definitions are followed by a discussion and analysis of the trerm's historical and current relevance. Entries are cross-referenced. 356 pages
Roberts, Jerry, DIANNE FEINSTEIN: NEVER LET THEM SEE YOU CRY, New York, 1994, Harper Collins,-- A compelling biography of a maverick political independent, traces the decades of persistence in the face of personal and professional adversity culminating in her election as U.S. Senator from California. 294 pages
Rodgers, Daniel T., CONTESTED TRUTHS: KEYWORDS IN AMERICAN POLITICS SINCE INDEPENDENCE, New York, Basic Books, Inc.,1987--A vivid retelling of the American political experience as a contest of words and a contest for ideas by a people to whom language had become an indispensible tool of revolution and statecraft. 258 pages
Rogers, Donald W., Ed., VOTING AND THE SPIRT OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL, 1992. Overview of the historical development of the right to vote, from the colonial period to the present. 123 pages.
Rogers, Helen P., THE ELECTION PROCESS, Wellington, 1986--Suggests ways to control campaign expenses, corruption and give more citizens an opportunity to hold political office. Presents brief biographies and positions for each candidate for the 1988 presidential nomination; analyzes actual campaign speeches. 268 pages
Rossi, Ernest E. and McCrea, Barbara P., THE EUROPEAN POLITICAL DICTIONARY, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 1985--Contains the people, politics,parties and provides a guide to events and institutions abroad. Includes both an historical and contemporary perspective of definitons. 400 pages
Seiden, Martin, H. ACCESS TO THE AMERICAN MIND, Shapolsky--A nonpartisan indictment of the mass media and the damaging impact its pervasive and indiscriminate power has upon both our governmental institutions and the American way of life. 234 pages
Simon, Roger, ROAD SHOW: IN AMERICA ANYONE CAN BECOME PRESIDENT--IT'S ONE OF THE RISKS WE TAKE, Farrar,Straus,Giroux, 1990--A rollicking anecdotal history of the 1988 campaign trail by a reporter who covered it for 22 months, into the backrooms and bedrooms to eavesdrop while George Bush told dirty jokes and Gary Hart put his spell on women and Dan Quayle plotted to seize America's carnival empire. 356 pages
Steinberg, Alan J., AMERICAN JEWRY AND CONSERVATIVE POLITICS, Shapolsky Publishers, 1988--Examines significant issues facing both the entire American electorate ad the American Jewish community, and explains how the conservative alternative might serve the best interest of both. 191 pages
Taylor, Paul, SEE HOW THEY RUN: ELECTING THE PRESIDENT IN AN AGE OF MEDIAOCRACY, Knopf, 1990--Profiles of 1988's key political personalities;Jackson, Hart, Cuomo, Quayle, Biden--analyzes the hired political consultants, the demagoguery of "hot button issues" and media focus on private lives, and offers proposals for change. 305 pages
Woodward, Bob, THE CHOICE, Simon Schuster, New York, 1996, Behind the scenes story of President Bill Clinton and Senate Majority Leader, Bob Dole. Includes in-depth information on the candidates on the eve of the 1996 elections. 460 pages
WORLD ALMANAC OF U.S. POLITICS--Packed with information on every branch of government, from the 102nd Congress to state legislatures, with profiles of elected officials, data on campaign financing and the top 20 PACs, the census and its impact on Congress, and much more. 400 pages