In its early years the sociology of education was not clearly distinguished from general social philosophy. Spurred by the publication of John Dewey?s School and Society in 1899, widespread interest in the role of the school as a social institution helped to lay the foundation for the development of educational sociology as a separate field of study.This facsimile set of eight books, selected by the editor, presents early contributions to the development of the sociology of education from the 1920s through to the 1950s - the period in which it emerged as an organized and specialized sub-field of sociology, mainly in the USA.Comprehensive and fascinating, the extensive new introduction to this set places these works firmly in the context of current scholarship, while the nature of the facsimile provides a real sense of immediacy and authenticity for both students and scholars alike.