Herbert Spencer

This first volume in the new series Masters of Social Theory examines the work of Herbert Spencer. Jonathan Turner says of Spencer

'There are so many misconceptions about Spencer that someone needs to set the record straight...(this) is a book about what is still useful and interesting in Spencer's sociology.'

Each volume in the series will feature prominent sociological theorists of the 19th and 20th centuries; they aim to provide both scholarly analysis and to summarize the fundamental ideas associated with each respective figure. The volumes provide a short, scholarly reference work and individual texts for undergraduate and graduate students. The series editor is Jonathan H Turner, Professor of S

Jonathan H. Turner (Ph D, Cornell University) is Distinguished Professor of sociology at the University of California at Riverside and University Professor for the University of California. He is the author of 35 books, which have been published in twelve different languages, and many research articles in journals and books.