This is a very good, but flawed book. Most key topics in contemporary political philosophy are covered, albeit from an almost wholly analytic standpoint. However, there are some puzzling omissions. One of the most faults of the Goodin/ Pettit book is its strong secularist bias. Theism is not simply ignored, it is denigrated, As Professor Elshtain pointed out in her review, the authors seem unaware of the persistent importance of faith in political life and thought.