Georg Simmel predicted that he would have no followers after his death. However, he is now widely recognized as the father of the sociology of modernity. His ideas on the metropolis, consumer culture, social space and aesthetics are at the crux of the contemporary debate in sociology. This collection brings together the essential secondary literature on Simmel. It is the most concise yet comprehensive view of this astonishingly prescient and penetrating sociologist.

Until recently little of Simmel's work was available in translation and certain key texts were unknown outside Germany. David Frisby provides not only an introduction to the major sociological writings of this important figure, but also an argument for a reconsideration of his work. Frisby outlines the cultural and historical context in which Simmel worked, reviews Simmel's most important writings, and examines his legacy to sociology by illuminating his links with Weber's theories and his influential relationship with Marxism.