Teaford begins by arguing that both the death and the rebirth of state government during the second half of the 20th century were exaggerated. State governments were never on the verge of extinction, nor were they the most slovenly of governments, completely venal and corrupt. Never were all state governors ineffective and incompetent. Rather, Teaford argues with an interesting firmness and clarity that state governments reformed themselves about every 20 years during the last century. He painstakingly documents the periods of reform dating back to the dawning of the so-called American century. It would be wrong to conclude that the major reforms of the 1960s and 1970s were the only major reforms of that 100-year period. The case for state governments reforming themselves periodically is made clearly and well. Those who think state governments only pulled back from the brink in the 1960s and 1970s will be surprised to see the evidence Teaford has assembled. This very thoughtful volume details the institutional restructuring, refinancing, and rethinking of the purposes of state government. A solid chronicle of the evolution of state government in the US. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Public libraries through faculty and research collections. W. K. Hall Bradley University