Best known as the author of the brilliant book, The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), Thorstein Veblen was much more than a one-book wonder. He is in fact a seminal classical sociologist who made many original contributions to the study of culture and society. Veblen has good claim to be considered the first, genuine sociologist of consumer society. Long before Bourdieu, Baudrillard, Lasch, or Ritzer, he exhibited a highly developed understanding of the rituals of exchange, the foibles of status and the cultural value of waste. This inspired selection conveys the full zest and penetrating insights of Veblen's writings. The collection comes with a full length essay which demonstrates the continuing relevance of Veblen's sociology.