Bessler (Univ. of Baltimore Law School) offers a thought-provoking examination of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishment" in the ongoing debate over the constitutionality of capital punishment. The author's conclusion is clear from the outset. Considering the debate in the light of "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society" (the Supreme Court's own standard for interpreting what constitutes "cruel and unusual" punishment), Bessler contends that state-mandated executions plainly do violate the Eighth Amendment. In support of that conclusion, he provides a meticulously documented exploration of many familiar lines of argument on both sides of the issue, including analysis of the framers' "original intent," principles of states' rights and federalism, racially discriminatory patterns in the imposition of capital punishment, and the irreversibility of execution weighed against the increasing numbers of revealed erroneous convictions. Obviously, no single volume can hope to resolve these and other layers of the debate, nor is Bessler's analysis likely to convince the death penalty's most ardent proponents. But as a starting point for reasoned discourse, this is a remarkably thorough, compelling achievement. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers and libraries. M. R. Scherer University of Nebraska-Omaha