The philosopher and co-founder of modern sociology, Georg Simmel (1858-1918), was long denied an academic career due to his Jewish heritage. It was not until 1914 that he received a professorship in Strasbourg. Simmel had a particular interest in the everyday phenomena of the modern world, such as the culture of the metropolis and the "Philosophy of Money," his most well-known work to this day. His studies on the mental constitution of modernity also include the two essays in this volume: the "Philosophy of Fashion," first published in 1905, and "The Adventure" from 1911.