In this new collection of essays on the Vietnam War, eminent scholars of the Second Indo-china conflict consider several key factors that led to the defeat of the United States and its allies. The book adopts a candid and critical look at the United State's stance and policies in Vietnam, and refuses to condemn, excuse, or apologize for America's actions in the conflict. Rather, the contributors think widely and creatively about the varied reasons that may have accounted for the United State's failure to defeat the North Vietnamese Army, such as the role played by economics in America's defeat. Other fresh perspectives on the topic include American intelligence failure in Vietnam, the international dimensions of America's defeat in Vietnam, and the foreign policy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. None of the essays have been previously published, and all have been specifically commissioned for the book by its editor, Marc Jason Gilbert. Editor Gilbert (North Georgia Coll. and State Univ.; The Vietnam War on Campus) has brought together nine leading authorities on Vietnam to discuss the difficult issue of how a superpower was defeated by a nominally inferior Third World state. While many academic libraries may exercise caution in these economically stressful times in purchasing expensive collections of essays, this particular work deserves a second glance. Scholars such as Jeffrey Record, George C. Herring, William J. Duiker, and John Prados and their colleagues in this volume provide both depth and breadth to any discussion of the wars in mid-century Southeast Asia, and their attempts at clarifying the factors behind North Vietnamese success and U.S. and South Vietnamese failure will certainly elevate scholarly debate on the topic. This formidable collection covers foreign and domestic policy, military tactics and strategy, and the usually neglected cultural questions surrounding the fall of South Vietnam to the Communist North. A valuable addition to academic libraries. —John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, NY © 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.