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A Franz Boas Reader: The Shaping of American Anthropology, 1883-1911 (Midway Reprint)

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This is an important book to own if you are interested in the history of anthropology. As the title of the book implies, this is a selection of his works written between 1883 and 1911.
It was in these years that Boas was most influential in shaping American anthropology. Stocking the editor, selected from Boas' letters, journal articles, lectures and
books written in this 28 year span. The result is that the reader can access Boas' writings
on:
1.) The history and development of anthropology.
2.) The problems (both theoritical and methodological) in evolutionism, folklore and physical anthropology.
3.) How ethnographic fieldwork and linguistics should be done.
4.) The idea of race/races in anthropology.
5.) The social role of anthropology in American society.
Stocking's selections allow the reader to view the development of anthropology in the United States, plus provide insights into Boas as a person. The short essays
written by Stocking before each section help place the selections in their historical context. Interestingly, several of the issues Boas
grappled with---race as just one example---are still debated and contested by anthropologists today.