Inadvertently my string of “best of” lists continues today.

Earlier this year Choice magazine asked me for a list of the five books about Congress that I would like my students to read before they graduate. The list was just published (Choice, v.49, no. 05, January 2012).

It was difficult to choose only five books about Congress. I attempted to choose a list of books that balanced scholarship with an understanding of, and appreciation for, the institution of Congress.

There are, of course, many, many deserving titles. I doubt that any two academics who study Congress will agree on the five “best” books. Frankly, I am not sure I agree with myself!

I’d like to provide a one-sentence explanation for each choice.

Congress and the Common Good. Arthur Maass. Basic Books. 1983. Maass argues, contrary to so many before and since, that the structure of Congress serves the collective interest of the institution; the intellectual precursor of Keith Krehbiel’s very important book Information and Legislative Organization.

Congressional Government: A Study in American Government. Woodrow Wilson. Houghton & Mifflin. 1885. In many ways the first serious, academic study of Congress; deeply flawed, highly influential, it casts its shadow over all of contemporary congressional studies whether we realize it or not.

Home Style: House Members in their Districts. Richard F. Fenno. Little, Brown. 1978. Fenno rallied political scientists to study members of Congress from the perspective of their constituencies; Fenno inspired many political scientists, but surprisingly few who would actually follow him into the field to study politicians in their natural habitats.

The Logic of Congressional Action. R. Douglass Arnold. Yale University Press. 1990. All of Arnold’s work reflects a deep understanding of political context and respect for formal reasoning; the book blew my mind as a graduate student.

A Rage for Justice: The Passion and Politics of Philip Burton. John Jacobs. University of California Press. 1997. Yes, biography can provide tremendous insight into politics, and this book sets the standard for all other biographies of members of Congress: It is extraordinary and fascinating–just like its subject.

No doubt there are many others that might appear on a list like this:  Congress: The Electoral Connection, Information and Legislative Organization, Legislative Leviathan, Call to Order, a dozen more books by Richard Fenno; the list could go on and on. I am interested in reactions, if any, to my choices.