The first edition of this book (American Social Studies, 1991) soon became the most widely used coursebook for American social studies in English departments at Swedish universities and colleges. The second edition (1997) maintained and strengthened this position into the new century. This is the title of the third, and now the fourth, edition, again thoroughly revised, providing an up-to-date survey of American geography, ethnic diversity, government, education, and social problems. It is intended primarily for university-level English-language courses in countries outside the United States, but it can also be of interest to general readers, including Americans. The author explains many basic concepts and phenomena with the foreign adult reader in mind and illustrates his points with numerous relevant examples. The Web addresses that are listed at the end of each chapter for further reading are complemented by a dedicated Web site. This convenient new forum will enable readers to log on for fresh updates and to communicate more readily with both the author and other readers around issues presented in the book.