The historian Wolfgang Mommsen was one of the foremost experts on Max
Weber as well as an insightful and accessible interpreter of his work.
Mommsen's classic book, first published in 1974 under the title The Age
of Bureaucracy, not only concisely explains the basic concepts
underlying Weber's worldview, but also explores the historical, social,
and intellectual contexts in which he operated, including Weber's
development as an academic, his relationship to German nationalism, and
his engagement with Marxism. Supplemented with a new foreword, a
bibliography that includes recent studies, and a postscript by Volker
Berghahn that surveys the most important debates on Weber's work since
his death, this short volume serves as an excellent resource for
scholars and students alike.