Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, 1962. The men and women who sit in the House of Commons shape the way we lead our lives. But how many of us could ever explain the workings of this complicated and mysterious institution? In this comprehensive and fascinating study, politician and historian Robert Rhodes James explains the strange traditions, complicated formalities and forceful personalities that have shaped the House of Commons throughout history, and that continue to shape it today. Authoritative, clear and always good-humoured, An Introduction to the House of Commons is a truly absorbing account of parliamentary life and process.