This chapter examines the role of German-language introductions, textbooks and reference works in sociology from the era of the German Reich to the end of the Weimar Republic. It demonstrates that these works not only systematised and conveyed knowledge but also significantly contributed to the institutionalisation of the discipline. Beyond their orienting function, they shaped discourse by generating and solidifying canon formations and knowledge hierarchies. The study adopts an intellectual-historical approach to trace the development of sociological overviews and their shifts in content. By referring back to the first introductory books in the German Reich, a comparative framework is created that allows for the identification of new emphases, dynamics and trends, as well as the establishment of a relatively autonomous sociological field during the Weimar Republic.