An anthropological study of vagrant culture in an urban environment. Spradley offers a portrayal of skid row men in Seattle in the late sixties documenting their treatment by jails and the legal system in a time before homelessness became a recognized problem. His study in urban ethnography is an example of the direct application of distinctly anthropological concepts and methods to address real-world problems and it represents a challenge to society about our capacity to endure and accept nonconformity and social diversity. --From publisher description.