The most popular book of readings for the Introductory Sociology college market is brought up to date with this fourteenth edition, which includes 30 percent new articles addressing current issues of contemporary sociology. <p>With more than 225,000 copies of previous editions sold, this widely used reader, which supplements traditional sociology texts, has been revised to include stimulating new material for the introductory course as well as classic articles that all sociology students should have.</p> <p>As in the former editions, the focus here is on participant observation—giving students a sense of “being there” as some of the field’s top practitioners conduct and report on their investigations. Articles examine diverse topics, ranging from the sociology of gender, power, politics, sports, religion, and wealth to the contemporary crises of violent crime, poverty, internet dating, and cosmetic surgery. In addition, a convenient chart correlates each article in Down to Earth Sociology to related chapters in each of the thirty-eight most widely used introductory textbooks.</p>