This 2009 book is a much-abridged and updated edition of Randall Collins's 1975 classic. Editor Sanderson is a specialist in sociology theory and comparative-historical sociology, as is Collins. Each chapter in the new edition has been updated, and the new material is located at the conclusion of the chapters. The editor also has added discussions of work of other sociologists whose ideas focus on the primary topics of Collins's original. Sanderson also has contributed an afterword that summarizes the sections of the book that have been removed (gender, organizations, and intellectual life), and discussions of Collins's work on educational systems and expansion, historical change, and religion. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)