It is a painful story, this tale of the conflicted, strained, at times deceitful relationship between Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills. The story begins in 1940, with Mills's entry into the doctoral program in sociology at Wisconsin, and effectively ends with Mills's death in 1962. However, the central focus is on the thirteen-year collaboration between the two men (1940-53), a collaboration that produced two classic sociological works, From Max We ber (1946) and Character and Social Structure (1953). The narrative moves at several levels. The telling is seamless, unfolding in six closely reasoned chapters and an epilogue. The Introduction and Epilogue present a Weberian model of academic careers, reputations, col laborative relationships, and the ethics of academic life. Following Weber, Oakes and Vidich understand that the institution of science operates as a "selection mechanism, placing certain persons in career paths and eliminat ing others" (p. 145). The path to a successful career in science "is traced by the fine line between overweening ambition that inspires doubt about honesty and a diffidence . . . that disqualifies its possessor from participa tion in the contest for priority" (p. 154). As Weber did not, Oakes and Vidich ask if there are "circumstances under which success as a scientist depends on violating the ethics of science" (p. 145). Chapters one through three detail the material and ethical practices that produced the famous 1946 and 1953 books. Chapter four analyzes Mills as a young careerist, while chapter six examines the academic tribulations of Hans Gerth. The text is a model of historical scholarship. Oakes and Vidich state, "Our purpose is not to take sides, settle scores, or reach conclusions con cerning who was right and who was not" (p. 11). The authors effortlessly move back and forth between the primary documents in the Gerth and