John Lewis Gaddis, Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio University, is the author of The United States and the Origins of the Cold War and Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American National Security Policy.

"Coherent, learned, well written--and a reminder of just how changeable are the passions kindled by nuclear deterrence....[Gaddis is] an intelligent historian, and he combines theoretical reflection with a deep knowledge of the massive American archives....[These essays] constitute a unified history of the Cold War."--The New York Times Book Review

"With his customary insight and care, John Gaddis gives us important and illuminating essays that deepen and alter our understanding of Soviet-American relations."--Robert Jervis, Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University

"A sophisticated addition to the Cold War literature."--Booklist

"Gaddis raises some interesting and timely questions....Provocative and well-argued."--Library Journal

"A fresh slant on the history of the Cold War."--Cultural Information Service

"Gaddis writes superbly well, no mean task when mixing narrative, analysis, personal reflection and advocacy....He asks questions that go to the heart of the matter; he offers subtle, skeptical answers clearly open to continuing debate."--The Washington Post Book World

"Few are more qualified to analyze the "long peace" than John Lewis Gaddis....[He makes] a case for the relative stability of the international order. In so doing, he offers an interpretation as insightful as it is provocative."--St. Petersburg Times

"A distinguished historian of post-1945 international relations presents eight substantial, thoroughly researched essays on the overall theme of the war the United States and the Soviet Union have managed to avoid with each other."--Foreign Affairs

"A collection of well-wrought and insightful essays."--The New Republic

"Together, these essays...form a comprehensive and perceptive statement that scholars and politicians alike ought not to ignore."--American Studies International

"[These essays] are uniformly well-written and stylishly crafted....[Gaddis] is a delight to read....By asking a different set of questions, by identifying new areas to investigate, and by taking virtually nothing as a given, Gaddis has forced all historians to examine and reexamine existing arguments and evidence."--Diplomatic History

"Provides essential historical perspective and keen insight on the troubled era of the Cold War."--Alexander L. George, Stanford University