From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—The organization of these volumes includes a common introduction followed by five chapters of fundamental explanations on its subject branch.
Executive presents a historical overview and a discussion of the roles, functions, and powers of governors and the role of the executive branch in state politics.
Judicial includes an introduction to state courts and law; the roles, functions, and powers of state courts; and the structure and process of courts.
Legislative includes chapters elucidating the powers and responsibilities of the legislatures and the structure and process of lawmaking. The final chapter in each book provides a state-by-state look at the topic, delineating what makes each state unique, making comparative studies easy. Each volume also contains information about people and politics, a volume-specific glossary, and a thematic annotated bibliography. Interesting sidebars (Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the "Coroner's Inquest," "Diversity in the Legislature," and other topics), average-quality black-and-white photographs, and tables are scattered throughout. Readers should be aware of a couple of errors. They include: Theodore Roosevelt is falsely credited with proclaiming Yellowstone National Park the first national park in
Executive and a photo in
Legislative is mislabeled the Old Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield. Despite these problems, these volumes embody a tremendous quantity of information for reports, thus filling a niche in government reference.—
Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Strongly recommended for academic and community library political science collections."
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Midwest Book Review
"Besides offering comprehensive coverage, the set is well written and accessible to general readers. … About State Government highlights the significant role of state governments in a format that is manageable and engaging. It is recommended for high school, college, and public libraries."
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