"A splendid study."--John Brademas, "Review of Politics""A major contribution to what we know about congressional leadership... Peters has written the definitive treatment of the speakership for the first 200-year history of the House of Representatives."-- "Journal of Politics"One of only four federal offices named in the Constitution, the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives is second only to the presidency in political power and influence. In this revised and updated edition of "The American Speakership, "Ronald M. Peters, Jr., offers the first comprehensive political and historical account of the speakership to appear since the turn of the century. Arguing that the workings of Congress can best be understood from a broader historical perspective, Peters traces the evolution of the office from its early form as a parliamentary office through periods during which it functioned as a feudal institution to its present form as a democratic speakership. Today the office of the Speaker is more,powerful than at any time since the turn of the century, and Peters covers the visible and controversial roles played by Tip O'Neill and Jim Wright, and, more recently, by Tom Foley and Newt Gingrich. "A major book on an important subject."-- "Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science""A sophisticated and insightful history of the speakership."-- "Political Science Quarterly"