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Originally published in 1979, this was the first text to be concerned explicitly with the analysis of forms of kin and non-kin sociability. Its aim was to compare and contrast the different ways in which sociability was patterned in modern life at the time. Many studies had been concerned with kin relations, rather fewer had examined friendship, while none had attempted to compare these relationships. It was the author's belief that such a comparison was necessary if both kin and non-kin relationships were to be understood more adequately. A Sociology of Friendship and Kinship thus represented a unique and valuable addition to the research literature on both these topics.

The text also synthesises a wide range of material from recent empirical research into the sociology of friendship and kinship, though it emphasises that such a synthesis can only be achieved by a careful conceptual and theoretical analysis of the nature of friend and kin relationships. An interesting feature of the book is its fusion of secondary research material with new empirical data gathered by Dr Allan in a study carried out by him in the early 1970s.