The textbook contains a great deal of relevant basic information on politics in Western Europe. Unfortunately, it needs to be better organized. This goes for the organization of chapters and organization within the chapters. I used it in my Western European Politics class, but students did not respond favorably. The textbook sometimes picks up a topic without any obvious reason for doing so, and then, having said a few sentences about it, leaves it off, also without any obvious reason. This makes individual chapters hard to follow.

For those who teach European politics, their students, and those who wish to gain a basic understanding of the topic, this text is quite nicely done. Each country section - including the EU - is about 80-100 pages long. While good for those who are new to the topic, it doesn't bore those who aren't. It's one of the better textbooks I've found on the subject, and I will use it in my class.