Palmer (an attorney for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals) presents an encyclopedia covering the legal, social, and political history of capital punishment in the United States as well as its status as of 2006. The large bulk of the encyclopedia consists of Supreme Court case entries summarizing the important legal issues presented by nearly all Supreme Court death penalty cases from the court's inception through 2006 and also include summaries and excerpts from Court opinions, including dissenting opinions. Entries are also provided on the relevant death penalty laws and judicial structures of every jurisdiction of the United States that has (or does not have) capital punishment, on the status of capital punishment in some 200 other countries of the world, notable capital prosecutions, organizations working for and against capital punishment, the histories of current methods of execution, the impact of the death penalty on particular demographic groups, capital punishment by the military, and a wealth of relevant legal terms. Entries often include statistical data. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)