Handbook of Sociological Theory (Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research)
From the reviews:"This handbook is a marvelous accomplishment. Organized in seven sections, it skillfully captures, maps, and interprets the wide range of theory that now operates in the discipline. Each of its 31 chapters is carefully crafted by a master theorist. [...] This is a glittering gallery of sociological theory written by the preeminent theorists working in the field today [...] there are gemlike chapters that show creative theorists at work, doing what good theorists do best, which is figuring out how the social world works."(American Journal of Sociology, 2003)"Instead of compiling a compendium of old, dusty standards, Turner gathered the newest, most-viable theories in sociology, ‘with an eye to capturing the diversity of theoretical activity.’ … From methodological and empirical concerns to cultural and communicative concepts, as well as computational and postmodern approaches, The Handbook of Sociology Theory covers the gamut of modern sociological research. … will take one a long way to understanding the history and the current thoughts of sociology and the social sciences." (Roy Christopher, frontwheeldrive.com, January, 2007)