Part of the Classics of the Social Sciences series, this modern presentation of Hughes’ influential work is not a mere photocopy or facsimile edition; yet its text embeds the original version’s pagination, for continuity in referencing and assignment. In this recognized classic of sociology and the study of labor and the professions, Everett C. Hughes detailed his conviction that a person’s work is a clue to the course of his or her life, defining one’s social being and core identity. He also argued that work influences a person’s social outlooks and attitudes, even across class, gender, and racial lines. The thirteen papers collected in this volume, and much-cited over the years and today, explore the social and psychological aspects of work rather than the technical and organizational aspects found in other research. They analyze the professional and near-professional actor, among other labor roles, rather than the more typically cataloged industrial and bureaucratic occupations. The chapters include the ideas that grew out of Hughes’ studies on the organization of work, conceptually, and the nature of the work experience. This is an unabridged republication of the 1958 book by The Free Press of Glencoe (republished in 1981 verbatim by Greenwood Press). It is now presented in a quality, modern format by Quid Pro Books, an academic leader in digitally remastered books™. Using proper and contemporary formatting, and careful proofreading against the original, this classic book is available new to today’s generation of scholars and students of sociology, the professions, labor, and occupations. Also available in a 2013 ebook edition, and a 2016 library-quality hardback edition, from Quid Pro Books. Please look for the blue-on-light blue cover and the publisher Quid Pro Books, rather than others’ photocopied versions.