IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE GENERAL RELATIONSHIP OF CRIMINOLOGY TO RECENT URBAN SOCIOLOGY IS CONSIDERED. THE BOOK THEN GOES ON TO REPORT THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST STAGE OF THE ONGOING SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, STUDY. BASED ON A PARTICULAR THEORETICAL METHODOLOGY, 'GROUNDED THEORY,' THIS STUDY AIMS TO DEVELOP MORE ADEQUATE GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT CRIME IN THE CITY THAN HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE UP TO THIS TIME. WITH THIS OBJECTIVE, CRIME DATA WERE ANALYZED AGAINST SOCIAL DATA. AMONG THE SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS GLEANED FROM THIS STUDY, IT WAS REALIZED THAT CRIME RATES DIFFERED ACCORDING TO THE 'HOUSING CLASS' (PRIVATELY RENTED OR OWNER OCCUPIED) OF THE POPULATION. THE BOOK CONCLUDES WITH AN ANALYSIS OF CRIME IN ALL THE MAJOR COUNCIL ESTATES OF THE LEADING BRITISH CITY OF SHEFFIELD, AND CONSIDERS THE IMPLICATIONS OF LEGISLATION IN THE COUNCIL HOUSE SECTOR FOR FUTURE PATTERNS OF CRIME IN SUCH AREAS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...KAP