The philosopher Peter Winch (1957) argued that the history of a subject is best written by a practitioner of that subject. This is ably demonstrated by this volume: Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz has assembled a group of high-profile contributors who discuss the emergence and consolidation of particular Language &Social Interaction (LSI) programs at various universities. This is a history of LSI in the United States written by participants in these programs, in their (then) roles of graduate students or faculty members. The result is a collection of enlightening, fascinating, and brilliant essays that focus upon the development, formulation, and transmission of ideas. © 2011 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.