GUIDE TO CONGRESS, 6TH EDITION, 2-VOLUME SET: GUIDE TO CONGRESS (CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY'S GUIDE TO CONGRESS) TWO VOLUME SET

Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to Congress is now in its sixth edition. From its first edition, in 1971, it has been the gold standard in comprehensive and authoritative treatment of the second branch of government. Its purpose is as simple as stated in the preface: “The Guide to Congress will help readers understand Congress as a vital institution.”   All chapters have some revisions, as noted on page xix, which shows each of the 16  contributors and the chapters he or she has revised. To really gain an appreciation and understanding of the changes since the last edition (1999), one only needs to read the preface. Drawing on the historic change from the Republican ascendancy in the House in 1994 to the Democratic control again in 2007, the preface notes the importance of the first three sections of the set, covering the “history, power, and procedures of the institution.” Section 4 treats the media, lobbying, and other “Pressures on Congress.” In volume 2 are the remaining four sections, covering “Housing and Support” (with a nice several pages on the Library of Congress), “Pay and Perquisites,” “Congress and the Electorate,” and “Qualifications and Conduct.” The volume concludes with an appendix containing a variety of reference materials, such as the U.S. Constitution and a floor plan of the Capitol, a list of members of Congress from 1789 to 2007, a selective bibliography, and an index. To really understand Congress, there is nothing better than these large volumes, to which many reference librarians have turned over the past 37 years. --Jerry Carbone