Publications by Topic

Outline Series

Sketchbook USA
This book is a 21st-century version of Portrait USA, providing a sweeping look at the United States in six chapters: As a Nation, As Citizens, At Work, At School, In Communities, and At Play. It offers background on the principles of government, the responsibilities of the voters, the diversity of the population, the accessibility of education, the strength of communities, and the pursuit of happiness. With an emphasis on brief articles, features, photo-stories, graphs and tables, the publication is both substantive and accessible, appealing to both elite audiences and young readers. More than 150 photographs are featured in a vibrant, colorful layout.  (September 2008)

USA Education in Brief
What is children’s or young adult literature? The answer is: Any story or characters created for an audience under adult age. Usually, members of this audience are beginning to face
choices and issues that will determine their future — their work, their relationships, their standing in the community. These young readers also are developing the skills and traits that will turn them into responsible, productive adults.
The best of young adult literature deals with these concerns.  (September 2008)

Outline of American Geography Considers the physical environment of the United States — landforms, climate, soils, and vegetation — in terms of its impact on the country's cultural, regional, and political development.  (November 1998)

Outline of American History A chronological look at how the United States took shape -- from its origins as an obscure set of colonies on the Atlantic coast a little more than 200 years ago into what one political analyst today calls "the first universal nation." This fully illustrated edition has been completely revised and updated by Alonzo L. Hamby, Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio University.  (November 2005)

Outline of American Literature The Outline of American literature, newly revised, traces the paths of American narrative, fiction, poetry and drama as they move from pre-colonial times into the present, through such literary movements as romanticism, realism and experimentation.  (December 2006)

Outline of the U.S. Economy Examines how the U.S. economy works and how it has evolved over the past 225 years. Considers forms of business enterprise, the role of financial markets, how government shapes the economy and seeks to manage the pace of economic activity, the agricultural sector and U.S. farm policy, the changing role of labor, and current U.S. policies on trade and international economic affairs.  (February 2001)

Outline of U.S. Government What makes U.S. government uniquely American...its Constitution, the separation of powers, the concept of “checks and balances,” the decentralized roles of state and local governments, and a citizenry with wide opportunity to be part of it all.  (September 2000)

Outline of the U.S. Legal System

This Outline covers the history and organization of the federal and state judicial systems; the criminal and civil court processes; the background, qualifications, and selection of federal judges; the role of other participants (lawyers, defendants, interest groups) in the judicial process; and the implementation and impact of judicial policies. It is based on the Congressional Quarterly Press' Judicial Process in America, 5th edition, by political science professors Robert A. Carp and Ronald Stidham.  (December 2004)

USA History in Brief
The first title in the new "In Brief" series, this publication summarizes in a few thousand words the history of how the United States was founded and the forces and events that shaped the dynamic and varied country that it has become today.  (March 2007)  

 

 

USA Literature in Brief
USA Literature in Brief pinpoints and describes the contributions to American literature of some of the best-recognized American poets, novelists, philosophers and dramatists from pre-Colonial days through the present. Major literary figures are discussed in detail, as are their major works. Brief discussions of cultural periods and movements such as romanticism, transcendentalism, and modernism put individuals in context and lend perspective. This condensed version of Outline of American Literature highlights major achievers and important works in the canon. (May 2007)  

USA Economy in Brief This mini-publication discusses the factors that make the U.S. economy the world's most productive, competitive, and influential. It focuses on workers and productivity, small and large business, the service economy, goods and services, the role of government, and the concept of "creative destruction," the process where jobs, companies, entire industries come and go because of their success or failure in the marketplace.(July 2007)