The Politics of Congressional Elections (5th Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Good, but also see Conrgessional Deskbook
Review: Anyone involved in running for a congressional seat, working on a congressional election or just interested in national politics will find this book enormously interesting. It's short. It's down to earth. It's up-to-date. And, it's one of the best on the subject. Professor Jacobson's book features pertinent analysis of national survey data plugged into long-term electoral trends. It covers all you need to know about how to make a run for Congress, calculating your odds and the chances of knocking off an incumbent. It is a unique blend of academic effort and practicality that is continually useful. It is the very best on what to expect in congressional elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible on Congressional Elections
Review: Anyone involved in running for a congressional seat, working on a congressional election or just interested in national politics will find this book enormously interesting. It's short. It's down to earth. It's up-to-date. And, it's one of the best on the subject. Professor Jacobson's book features pertinent analysis of national survey data plugged into long-term electoral trends. It covers all you need to know about how to make a run for Congress, calculating your odds and the chances of knocking off an incumbent. It is a unique blend of academic effort and practicality that is continually useful. It is the very best on what to expect in congressional elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but also see Conrgessional Deskbook
Review: Frey's book is good, but if you want to see how Congress works AFTER the elections, see the Congressional Deskbook. Testimonials and more information about the Deskbook are available at CongressionalDeskbook.com.

I became aware of the Congressional Deskbook because of a review in last December's CHOICE, which described it as "A valuable, detailed, and highly functional synthesis of information about the legislative branch. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections."

The high praise in CHOICE is fully justified, and that is evidenced by the copies of the Deskbook that I have seen in many offices in different federal agencies in Washington, DC.

The Congressional Deskbook is a unique compendium that puts an enormous amount of information about Congress in one place. The publisher, TheCapitol.Net, publishes a couple of excellent Congress-related items in addition to the Deskbook, including the unique Congressional Operations Poster. TheCapitol.Net site has lots of useful links for anyone interested in Congress and the federal government.

Your best bet is to buy Mr. Jacobson's book and also get the Congressional Deskbook.

And if you teach the legislative process, you should also look at the Congressional Operations Poster. You can see it by searching Amazon for ISBN 1587330040.