**** The first edition (1989) of this appealing popular reference is cited in ARBA 1990, Sheehy Suppl., and--we blush--RandR Book News. It provides a detailed yet concise portrait of every state (as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico), combining facts and statistics to profile the state's history, economy, population, cultural development, natural resources, and political system. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography of nonfiction and reference volumes and an annotated list of literary works (fiction, memoirs, and biographies) in which the state and its people play a major role. Included in this revised and updated edition are two new sections, one covering the environment, the other presenting unusual state facts. For a broad audience. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR