A murder in a small English village leads Hercule Poirot into a strange mystery involving a determined, curious spinster, the local doctor, and a wide range of suspects with possible motives and mysterious relationships.

Product Description: Innerworldly Individualism looks to colonial history, in particular, seventeenth-century New England, to understand the sources of modern nation building. Seligman analyzes how cultural assumptions of collective identity and social authority emerged out of the religious beliefs of the first generation of settlers in New England...read more

Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber (21 April 1864 – 14 June 1920) was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research and the discipline of sociology itself. A key proponent of methodological antipositivism, which presents sociology as a non-empiricist field which must study social action through interpretive means based upon understanding the meaning and purpose that individuals attach to their own actions, Weber is often cited, with Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx, as one of the three principal architects of modern social science.  Weber was also highly influential with his thesis in economic sociology, elaborated in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, that ascetic Protestantism was one of the major "elective affinities" associated with the rise of capitalism, bureaucracy and the rational-legal nation-state in the Western world. Against Marx's "historical materialism," Weber emphasised the importance, for understanding the development of capitalism, of cultural influences embedded in religion.   The Protestant Ethic formed the earliest part in Weber's broader investigation into the sociology of religion. Begun as a series of essays, the original German text was composed in 1904.It is considered a founding text in economic sociology and sociology in general.

Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber (21 April 1864 – 14 June 1920) was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research and the discipline of sociology itself. A key proponent of methodological antipositivism, which presents sociology as a non-empiricist field which must study social action through interpretive means based upon understanding the meaning and purpose that individuals attach to their own actions, Weber is often cited, with Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx, as one of the three principal architects of modern social science.  Weber was also highly influential with his thesis in economic sociology, elaborated in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, that ascetic Protestantism was one of the major "elective affinities" associated with the rise of capitalism, bureaucracy and the rational-legal nation-state in the Western world. Against Marx's "historical materialism," Weber emphasised the importance, for understanding the development of capitalism, of cultural influences embedded in religion.   The Protestant Ethic formed the earliest part in Weber's broader investigation into the sociology of religion. Begun as a series of essays, the original German text was composed in 1904.It is considered a founding text in economic sociology and sociology in general.

In this volume the author maintains that sociology must learn to combine the insights of both Durkheim and Marx and that it can only do so on the presuppositional ground that Weber set forth. Alexander maintains that the idealist and materialist traditions must be transformed into analytic dimensions of multidimensional and synthetic theory. This volume focusses on the writing of Talcott Parsons, the only modern thinker who can be considered a true peer of the classical founders, and examines his own profoundly ambivalent attempt to carry out this analytic transformation.

Product Description: This is an intellectual biography of Benjamin Kidd, a leading Social Darwinist in the years before World War I, and a social prophet in the tradition of Comte and Spencer. His first book Social Evolution, published in 1894, was an immediate and enormous success around the world...read more

Product Description: This short critical introduction to Pierre Bourdieu's thought is a model of clarity and insight. Where Bourdieu's own writings are often complex, even ambiguous, Richard Jenkins is direct, concise and to the point. He emphasizes Bourdieu's contributions to theory and methodology while also dealing in detail with his substantive studies of education, social stratification and culture...read more

The 1980s have witnessed a steady growth of interest in the social theory of Georg Simmel. For long a neglected figure in sociology, Simmel is now recognized as an extremely shrewd and subtle commentator on the distinctive qualities of modern life. "Simmel and Since" ranges from accounts of key concepts in Simmel's theory such as that of "society" and his neglected contribution to social psychology, to aspects of his theory of modernity and his place in contemporary debates on postmodernity. The main body of the text examines aspects of Simmel's social theory of modernity, its context, its economic aspects, and its relevance for present debates on the metropolis, social space, leisure, aesthetics and postmodernity. All of the chapters are grounded in a study of original sources.

Product Description: Policy analyst Richard Titmuss became famous as one of the most staunch and outspoken defenders of the welfare state and its underlying values, and in this book his daughter, Ann Oakley, offers us an inside view of his life and work...read more

Max Weber remains a leading influence in social science. This collection argues that his work is often misread. Three original essays by Weber are used to illustrate how he has been misunderstood. This book should be of interest to teachers and students of social and political theory, sociology, history, politics.

Stimulation for this study, first published in 1981, came from working on the translation and introduction to Simmel's "The Philosophy of Money" (Routledge 1978; new edition 1990). It was intended as a provocative introduction to some aspects of Simmel's social theory. It challenged many earlier conceptions of Simmel's work, most notably the view that Simmel produced a "formal" sociology. It also drew out the significance of the aesthetic dimension in Simmel's work. A major feature of the study, presented here in its first paperback edition, is that it locates Simmel within the social and intellectual "milieu" in which he was working, by drawing upon many little known essays and pieces by Simmel and his contemporaries. A new afterword takes up new material on Simmel's aesthetic stance and confronts critical responses to the first edition of the book. Providing a critical introduction to Simmel's social theory, it should be of interest to students of sociology, philosophy, and German studies.

The eleventh edition of Human Societies covers many new developments of our rapidly changing times. Among many global updates are changing political ideologies, cyber warfare, biofuels and the problems they present, new population control initiatives, and the increasing democratization and economic power of China. More than 20 new photos grace the newly designed pages of this classic, influential text.

Product Description: George Herbert Mead is a foundational figure in sociology, best known for his book Mind, Self, and Society, which was put together after his death from course notes taken by stenographers and students and from unpublished manuscripts...read more

Until recently little of Simmel's work was available in translation and certain key texts were unknown outside Germany. David Frisby, the eminent Simmel scholar, provides not only an introduction to the major sociological writings of this important figure, but also an argument for a reconsideration of his work. The author outlines the cultural and historical context in which Simmel worked; reviews Simmel's most important writings; and examines his legacy to sociology by illuminating his links with Weber's theories and his influential relationship with Marxism.Simmel, a central figure in the development of modern sociology, and a contemporary of Weber and Durkheim, was one of the first to identify sociology as a separate discipline. His ideas influenced Weber, the Chicago School, and many later sociologists. His introduction of a number of basic concepts to sociology, such as exchange, interaction and differentiation, attest to his intellectual stature and the far-reaching significance of his work.

Product Description: Baudrillard is widely recognised as a powerful new force in cultural and social criticism, and is often referred to as the ‘High Priest of Postmodernism’. This study presents a detached assessment of his social thought and his reputation, challenging the way his work has been received in postmodernism and proposing a new reading of his contribution to social theory...read more

DAVID BUSCH'S MASTERING DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY, THIRD EDITION is the comprehensive guide to photography with digital SLR cameras. If you're a digital SLR owner who is comfortable with the basics of using your camera and are looking for more advanced, in-depth information on digital SLR concepts and techniques, this book will help you expand your knowledge of the many new capabilities and improvements that are now standard on these cameras. Suitable for both professionals and serious hobbyists alike, this book goes beyond the standard coverage offered in most general camera books, exploring features and techniques specific to digital SLR photography. From initial discussions on hardware selection to professional-level tips and techniques for sports and action shots, this is the all-inclusive guide that any photographer needs for refining their digital SLR skills. This third edition features six brand-new chapters and completely refreshed coverage of all topics and techniques, and includes information on all the latest innovations and technology that will help improve your skill as a photographer, including LiveView and HDTV, WiFi links, GPS tagging, as well as iPhone, iPad, and iPod applications. Digital SLR cameras have special advantages, special features, and special problems that need to be addressed and DAVID BUSCH'S MASTERING DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY, THIRD EDITION tackles them all, helping you discover the world of photography with digital technology.

"A provocative analysis of some of the central aspects of Weber's theoretical and methodological work."--S.N. Eisenstadt

A study of the work of German sociologist, Max Weber, including a brief biography and an exploration in Weberian social theory.