This chapter offers an introduction into the posthumously published manuscript Human Societies and to its author, Bernhard Giesen. It first discusses the uniqueness of his approach to human societies: Giesen embraces evolutionary thinking while rejecting the conception of evolutionary stages; he offers a distinct cultural-sociological perspective on the evolution of human societies, which allows us to read this work also as an introduction to cultural sociology; following his motto “nothing simply disappears”, Giesen utilizes “historical flashforwards” to demonstrate how seemingly outdated forms of social organization and cultural practice persist in contemporary society. Second, it reconstructs the evolution of Giesen’s sociological thinking from his early macrosociology to his mature cultural sociology, which highlights the extraordinary as the foundation of every social order as well as the ambiguity and ambivalence inherent in every cultural classification system. Third, the introduction provides a brief overview of the manuscript, shedding a light on key insights and unacknowledged sources, while also discussing some contemporary phenomena from the perspective of Human Societies. Finally, the editors provide an exposition of the polices guiding their editorial work.