The Sociology of Education has held the field as the standard textbook on the subject. In this third edition Professor Musgrave has revised his text to take account of recent research and of the many changes that have taken place, in schools and in society at large, in the past few years The book is divided into three parts. The first considers the way in which the child becomes a social being, and the influences upon him of the family, the peer group and the mass media. The second deals with the sociology of schooling, looking at different types and stages of schools, and the attitudes and forms of interaction within them. Finally, the author traces the relationship between education and social institutions, and looks at the balance between the preservation of social stability and the introduction of change.