The Handbook of Interview Research is the most ambitious attempt yet at examining the place of the interview in contemporary society. Interviewing is the predominant mode of research in the social sciences. It's also the stock-in-trade of information seekers in organizations and institutions of all kinds, as well as in the mass media. Across the board, interviews provide today's leading window on the world of experience.

The Handbook offers a comprehensive examination of the interview at the cutting edge of information technology. Drawing upon leading experts from a wide range of professional disciplines, this book addresses conceptual and technical challenges that confront both academic researchers and interviewers with more applied goals. From interview theory to the nuts-and-bolts of the interview process, the coverage is impressively broad and authoritative.

The Handbook of Interview Research is both encyclopedic and thematic. As an encyclopedia, it provides extensive discussions of the methodological issues now surrounding interview practice, offering a multi-faceted assessment of what has become the method of choice for obtaining personal information in today's society. But the Handbook also is a story, which spins a particular tale of interviewing, one that moves from the commonly recognized individual interview to what is called `the interview society'. The gist of the presentation is that we can no longer regard the interview as simply an instrument for gathering data, but must now also view it an integral part of society.