Scott Mainwaring, Timothy R. Scully (Editors)
Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America. 
Stanford University Press, 1995. First edition. 0804723079 xix/578 pages.
Volume, measuring approximately 6.5" x 9.75", is bound in black cloth, with stamped silver lettering to spine. Book shows light shelfwear. Binding is firm. Interior is clean and bright. Dust jacket displays wear, with twi-inch gash along rear edge of spine, and a small white price sticker to bottom of rear panel. Jacket is in mylar cover.
"This volume aims to fill the need for a comprehensive, up-to-date portrait of parties and party systems in Latin America. It includes chapters on all the large and medium-sized countries, as well as those smaller countries with older democratic traditions: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The book is framed by an introduction that provides a theoretical and comparative conceptual map for charting Latin American party systems and a conclusion that looks ahead to the challenges and trends for party building in the 1990s. The 12 country case studies address five analytical themes. Finally, and most importantly, the authors characterize the nature of the party system in each country - how institutionalized it is, and how it can be classified."