Description: "Democracy in America" is "the" classic analysis of America's unique political character, quoted heavily by politicians and perennially popping up on history professors' reading lists. The book's enduring appeal lies in the prophetic voice of de Tocqueville (1805-1859), a French aristocrat who visited the United States in 1831.
Review Quotes: Winner of the 2004 Translation Prize awarded by the French-American Foundation
"This new translation by Goldhammer gets to the heart of Tocqueville's words."--Library Journal "It's hard to think of a work that has so influenced our understanding of the United States as this--still the most authoritative, reflective set of observations about American institutions and the American character ever written . . . this translation by Goldhammer, the dean of American translators from the French, accomplishes what it's hard to believe possible: it lends to this unalterably grave work some zest. Never slipping into slang, it gives a colloquial cast, fitting for our time, to a work normally rendered only with high solemnity. The Library of America claims that its editions will stay in print forever. This one's likely to stand that test."
--Publishers Weekly