Handbook to American Democracy

Lori Cox Han (Women and American Politics; Encyclopedia of American Government and Civics) and Tomislav Han address the foundations of American democracy and the three branches of American government. The books introduce offices, history, and issues in eight chapters each (e.g., "The Founding Fathers and the American Revolution," "How Congress Is Organized," and "Vice Presidents, Presidential Advisers, and America's First Ladies"). The material is complemented by black-and-white photos and sidebars on legal cases, laws and legislation, statistics, maps, biographies of major figures such as Henry VIII, and other primary materials, and chapters close with a summary. While the books unfortunately open with the same introduction, they each include an individual glossary, index, selected bibliography, and table of contents. The volumes devoted to branches of the government have similar layouts, enabling comparisons to be drawn easily, although the lack of a comprehensive index to the set will impede research.