This study draws upon evaluations of 306 texts in common use in the 50 states. The books were read by over 100 experts who responded to a detailed questionnaire designed to assess the texts' amount of Asian content; accuracy, underlying assumptions and approach; inclusion of literature, the fine arts, and other primary expressions of the Asian experience; style and tone; and such supplementary aspects as illustration, teachers' guides, and bibliographies. Deficiencies are found in all these areas, but those regarded as most serious are the underlying Western yardsticks with which the vast majority of the texts approach Asia, their failure to present Asian life authentically, and the absence of any significant amount of Asian source materials. The net result of measuring Asian nations by Western standards is that they are described negatively in terms of what they do not have. In addition to describing Asia from a Western point of view, many texts talk about it to the extent that it serves American interests, discussing Asian countries primarily in terms of their strategic importance to the U.S. Literature, music, dance, and other aspects of Asian culture -- if included at all -- are presented negatively as hindrances to progress. In addition to the texts' general failure to include genuine representations of Asian experiences, their style and tone also reinforce their Western-centered approach. (Author/AM)