Probably a decent look at the field - in 1970. Forty years later its style seems very dry even for academic writing, and it seems to hit a sour spot - each article felt too short to get me interested in the subfield it discussed or explore a topic, but too technical to suit someone looking for a primer. In fairness, the back of the book says as much. It was intended as a report into developments in linguistics in 1970, for existing linguists, and unfortunately that very specific niche is really no longer relevant.

It's possible that if I was more interested in some of the subjects - generative grammar, say, or the semantic end of things - I'd have got more out of it. As it was the book failed to inspire me towards any of those topics, and had little to offer in my preferred areas of actual languages, comparative, social and anthropological issues. It had an emphasis on quite theoretical and brain-based topics that don't do much for me. ( )