House and Senate, Third Edition [Paperback]

Ross K. Baker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393976114 | ISBN-13: 978-0393976113 | Publication Date: September 2000 | Edition: Third Edition

The first comprehensive and systematic comparison of the two houses of the U. S. Congress, House and Senate has long been a success in both Congress and American Government courses.

In the new Third Edition, Ross Baker once again uses his unique approach—interviews with senators who were formerly members of the House, as well as with journalists, lobbyists, and staff members—to paint a clear and colorful portrait of the two houses, which remain distinct, and often antagonistic, partners.  House and Senate allows students to peek into the hidden corners of Capitol Hill and offers a fascinating insider’s view of the two chambers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is an informative and clearly written portrait of America's unique bicameral legislature. Baker, a political scientist and author of Friend and Foe in the U.S. Senate ( LJ 4/1/80), weaves into his text parts of numerous interviews he conducted with legislators, journalists, and lobbyists. He paints a complex picture of an adversarial House of Representatives struggling to satisfy the majority interests of its constituents and a consensus-seeking, compromising Senate focused on the so-called "national interest." He shows how each body is affected by size, length of term, history, constitutional limits, lobbyists, and journalists, and how they can be viewed as a microcosm of the American system of checks and balances. An unusually accessible synthesis of a topic that is of interest to general readers and students alike.
- Jack Forman, Mesa Coll. Lib., San Diego
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Ross K. Baker is a Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University.  He is also a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and Newsday and a frequent contributor to other popular and professional periodicals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Third Edition edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393976114
• ISBN-13: 978-0393976113
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,558,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderfully Informative Book, October 16, 2005

By 

Daniel W. Whitney "eagleeyedg" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House and Senate, Third Edition (Paperback)

I had the distinct pleasure of taking Congressional Politics with Professor Baker in the Spring of 2005. While reading this book is not quite as good as sitting in one of his lectures, it comes very close.

House and Senate is a remarkable look at the two distinct branches of the United States Congress. Baker discusses not only the differences between the two houses but the reasons that these differences exist. He relies not only on the accounts of Senators who used to serve as Representatives but on his own experiences working for members of both houses. Baker's extensive knowledge of the inner workings of Congress make him uniquely qualified to write this book.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent comparison of the two houses..., November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: House and Senate (2nd edition) (Paperback)

Mr. Baker uses his experiences in the Senate to make his book interesting and entertaining, as well as factually accurate. He compares the two legislative houses with great detail, all the time enhancing each houses's "personality" and that of its members. It is, perhaps, one of the finest books in its class.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read, June 18, 2005

By 

Kariobangi "do5459" (jax n.c.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House and Senate, Third Edition (Paperback)

Baker has without doubt managed to make interesting what is without doubt not your everyday edge-of-the-seat topic of discussion.At the end of it all the House comes across as a school yard of near deliquents clamouring for press time while the Senate is presented as a bunch of somewhat ignorant attention stealing dont-push-my-buttons-or-i'll-filibuster-you miscreants.Baker's book manages-without the air of patronage that seems to surround authors of such books- to set out in a logical manner what makes each chamber tick.A true sprinkle on an otherwise dry subject matter.