Brian C. Schmidt
The Political Discourse of Anarchy: A Disciplinary History of International Relations.
State University of New York Press, 1997. SUNY Series in Global Politics. First printing. 0791435784 xi/309 pages.
Softcover volume, measuring approximately 6" x 9", is new.
"A disciplinary history of the field of international relations from its emergence in the mid-1800s until the outbreak of World War II. It demonstrates that many of the commonly held assumptions abut the field's early history are incorrect, such as the presumed dichotomy between idealist and realist periods. By showing how the concepts of sovereignty and anarchy have served as the core constituent principles throughout the history of the discipline, and how earlier discourse  is relevant to the contemporary study of war and pease, international security, international organization, international governance, and international law, the book contributes significantly to current debates about the identity of the international relations field and political science more generally."