This book investigates the historical shift in American linguistics from the dominance of Post-Bloomfieldian structuralism to the rise and eventual institutionalization of generative grammar. Frederick J. Newmeyer, a prominent linguist, utilizes archival records, professional correspondence, and historical analysis to document the intellectual and political transitions within the field. He argues that the transition was not a sudden paradigm shift but a complex, contested process involving institutional power dynamics and evolving theoretical frameworks.

Experts recognize this work as a significant historical account of the internal politics and theoretical evolution of 20th-century American linguistics. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the author's meticulous attention to the institutional history of the Linguistic Society of America.