Written in response to Dickens_ travels in the United States in 1842, American Notes is a fascinating and often highly critical portrait of the young American nation. His obser-vations are often funny and satiric, always perceptive, and occasionally derogative. Dickens touches on topics as diverse as Wall Street, the prison system, slavery, and_his favorite subject_the American press, some comments about which sound as if they spoke of events today. This great travel book is made even more interesting in light of current events, in which many countries and their peoples are more closely observing and reevaluating what the United States is as a people and a place.