Princeton University Press recently sent me a paperback of the “Princeton Readings in American Politics”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691124728?ie=UTF8&tag=henryfarrell-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0691124728 volume. I presume the core audience for the book is upper level undergraduate courses. I have to say that it also looks like an excellent resource for journalists and others who are interested in a one-stop “Everything You Want to Know About Americanist Political Science but Were Afraid to Ask” collection. It has a number of excellent articles, drawing from American Political Development (Pierson’s piece on how policy feedback loops generate their own constituencies and Hacker’s welfare state article; both good readings for people interested in thinking about what is likely to happen to healthcare now that it’s passed); basic pieces on public opinion, Congress and the President (as well as some pieces which are not classics, but which nicely convey basic insights; Zaller’s “piece”:http://www.uvm.edu/~dguber/POLS234/articles/zaller.pdf on Monica Lewinsky and public opinion does a lovely job in showing how little media scandals affect political fundamentals), and emerging issues (an extract from Bartels on partisanship’s consequences for income inequality). Recommended.
