Quote:A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian discusses "the Cold War, political parties, the presidency, and many broader philosophical issues [with] incisive wit" (Library Journal).

A celebrated historian, speechwriter, and adviser to President Kennedy, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. draws on decades of astute observation to construct a dialectic of American politics, or as Time magazine called it, a "recurring struggle between pragmatism and idealism in the American soul."

The Cycles of American History traces two conflicting visions of America-Experiment vs. Destiny-through two centuries of political evolution, conflict, and progress. In this updated edition, Schlesinger reflects on the dawn of a new millennium and how new social and technological revolutions could lead to a revolution in American political cycles.

"Whatever the nation's political future, it can benefit from the intelligence and regard for our country's best traditions evident in these informed and humane essays." - The New York Times

"Displays the author at his best: trenchant, erudite, crisp." - Foreign Affairs

"An excellent and provocative primer on the challenges surrounding the contemporary American political setting . . . First-rate history mixed with a strong sense of public service." - The Christian Science Monitor