2013 Reprint of 1961 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Includes two studies: "Fun in Games" and "Role Distance." Erving Goffman (1922 - 1982) was a Canadian-born sociologist and writer and is considered one of the most influential American sociologists of his era. In 2007 he was listed by The Times Higher Education Guide as the 6th most-cited author in the humanities and social sciences, behind Anthony Giddens and ahead of J rgen Habermas. Goffman was the 73rd president of the American Sociological Association. His best-known contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction in the form of dramaturgical analysis that began with his 1956 book, "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life." Goffman's other major works include "Asylums" (1961), "Stigma" (1963), "Interaction Ritual" (1967), "Frame Analysis" (1974), and "Forms of Talk" (1981). His major areas of study included sociology of everyday life, social interaction, social construction of self, social organization (framing) of experience, and particular elements of social life such as total institutions and stigmas.