Max Weber-Studienausgabe (MWS)

The purpose of the Max Weber Student Edition is to make Max Weber's writings and speeches, based on the text of the Max Weber Gesamtausgabe, accessible to all without the editorial apparatus.

The Max Weber Student Edition is laid out in such a way that the user can fall back on the MWG at any time; thus the student edition adheres to the MWG throughout in the structure and the layout of the texts.  In order to make it easier for the reader to locate sources, the corresponding page numbers in the MWG are given at the bottom of each page. In addition, references are made to the established editions which have been used in secondary literature up to now.

The afterword, written by the editor with reference to the particular volume, contains a list of Weber's main scholarly and political influences and intentions. In it, the editor explains the structure and the content of the body of writings, their contemporary context at that time as well as the history of their reception.

The appendix provides detailed information on the textual basis of the Max Weber Student Edition and on the origins of the individual publications. The editorial policy of the MWG as well as the additions to it necessary for the student edition are explained in a special section entitled Zur Textkonstitution. Of special interest is when and how emendations to the texts were made. The chapter entitled Zur Entstehung der Texte gives a detailed report on the individual publication's politico-historical context and its context in the history of research and also provides a critical analysis of its sources. This is followed by lists, glossaries and indexes.