This book has been a mainstay in Communications Theories courses in universities across America for most of the 21st century thus far, but it hasn't been updated much since its original publication in 2000. For a book that talks about Mass Comm. theories, it still provides a solid foundation as far as the histories of many theories go, but much of Severin and Tankard's commentary on technology (specifically the Internet) is laughably outdated. It makes me wonder how much progress has been made in the field in the 12 years since this book's initial publication.Buy it if you must, but know that there are more up-to-date resources out there that deserve to bump this dusty tome from its revered position among college faculty.