These essays analyze how German and American views of each other developed and periodically shifted, providing a fresh analysis of the often complex German-American relationship. The images--found in travelogues, private letters, diaries, diplomatic reports, newspaper articles, and movies--that resulted from each encounter frequently reflected the contemporary relations, often foreshadowed future trends, and illustrate how political agendas, prejudices, stereotypes, and pragmatic forces influenced each society's perceptions.