Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups

This book isn't cheap, but it's well worth the sticker price for people seriously interested in the role of race and ethnicity in American life. Distinguished Harvard historian Stephan Thernstrom assembled an impressive collection of experts to write definitively on almost every racial and ethnic group that has had a presence in the United States. A series of extended essays on assimilation, language, law, literature, politics, and other topics also make the book essential reading. The massive numbers of new immigrants entering the United States will demand that this book receive an essential update sometime in the 21st century, but until then it remains a wonderful resource covering more than 200 years of American history.