Essentials of Comparative Politics Book

Excellent resource for anyone interested in comparative politics. O'Neil breaks everything down in a simple and straightforward way; somehow he makes the complex and varying nature of democratic elections sound simple. I thought I'd never understand proportional representation in all its (many, many) forms until I began to read this.

The "readings" book that oftentimes accompanies this one is wonderful too. Duverger's theory regarding SMDs is included as an essay - a "must know" for any poli sci scholar.

This book sparked an interest in comparative politics for me and I've since gone on to study these topics in much greater detail, with a firm grasp on the fundamentals thanks to O'Neil.