When the first edition of this book was published, the Christian Science Monitor called it "one of the most concise and informative books to appear on Italy since the end of Fascism." Thoroughly revised and updated, this third edition insures that Professor Hughes' work will retain its preeminence as the best single introduction to contemporary Italy.

Professor Hughes outlines the geographic, economic, and psychological factors that have conditioned Italy's development, and reviews the traditional contacts between Italy and the United States, in particular the immigration...