Sociology has numerous writings that provide introductions to the history of sociology, summaries of specific research areas and questions, or overviews of the classics in the field. Although various introductions and overview volumes in art sociology have been published recently, there is a lack of a current compilation of the classics in the sociology of the arts. Due to the intense debates surrounding the concept of the classic in sociology, as well as extensive developments in the sociology of the arts, a current compilation cannot focus solely on classics themselves. The sociology of the arts features several highly significant and prominent approaches that can only be reconciled with the concept of the classic in a highly problematic manner, regardless of its form. Accordingly, this is the focus of the book.