This book is about lobbying in the United States. What separates it from most books on lobbying is its broad focus. As you will see, the book examines two types of lobbying – land use lobbying and procurement lobbying – that are seldom mentioned, much less studied, by scholars of lobbying and lobbyists. Of course, the book also takes an extensive look at public policy lobbying – the type of lobbying that is the focus of most studies of lobbying and lobbyists. This book is also unique in that it uses the words of actual lobbyists to illuminate the process of lobbying.

As much as possible, in the pages that follow I attempt to eschew jargon and make the book accessible to a broad audience of undergraduates and graduate students studying lobbying and/or interest groups in the United States, as well as interested laypeople. My hope is that by the time you are finished reading this book, you will have a thorough understanding of who lobbyists are, where they operate, what they want, what they do, and how influential they are.

Before moving on, I must acknowledge my debts to the many people who have helped make this book a reality. First, I would like to thank Ed Parsons, the magnificent editor who shepherded this book through the writing and production process. Ed's instincts are excellent, and his patience seems to know no bounds.