In this lively and entertaining book, Gordon Marshall explores ten classic studies of British society to demonstrate the valuable qualities of British sociology, and its importance for understanding contemporary society. In each case he provides a precis of the research undertaken, assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the reader, a series of points that can be made in praise or criticism of the research, and an assessment of the sociological contribution made by the researchers.

The ten studies chosen are: Goldthorpe on social mobility, Townsend on poverty, Rex and Moore on race and the inner city, the Affluent Worker project, Wallis on sectarianism, Jackson and Marsden on education and the working class, Brown and Harris on clinical depression among women, Cohen on deviance, Bott on families and social networks, and Burns and Stalker on management and new technology.

An excellent introduction for the student to the concerns and values of sociology, this book gives a powerful statement of the achievements of post-war British sociologists, and a manifesto for good sociology in the 1990s.