I loved this book in college and look forward to reading it again. Frankly I think he is somewhat ridiculous, but thought provoking and hilarious. I had a girlfriend almost break up with me because she read the book literally and took affront of a French man critiquing the US.Anyhow, my criticism with this edition is that the original version was square in shape and full of nice color pictures. It didn't feel like just another staid french literary criticism book. It felt more like a travel guide-book (though a warped one). Obviously the text is the same as the original and you shouldn't judge a book by it cover, but in this case, layout and design I think make more than a subtle change in how the reader will approach the book.I just did some research. Apparently the original version is still on sale on Amazon. I heartily recommend you purchase this version:America