On the approach of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the American Sociological Association (ASA), readily available, official records were utilized to write its history. The product does not detail a history of sociology in the United States; it deals with a history of an organization facing, over time, a series of problems. There is a repetitiveness of concerns over the years, and much of the organization's history is the reworking of solutions to these problems. The repetitive issues include: the scope of the Association; membership qualifications; how to organize the annual meeting and publications; how to finance activities; how to relate to regional associations, to other social science associations, to government, and to colleagues around the world; whether to have a permanent Executive Office; how to encourage good research, reward scholarship, encourage good teaching, strengthen academic freedom, and improve the application of sociological knowledge to the problems of society; and how to identify and increase employment opportunities. In addition to the text, there is a chronology of events, lists of officers and ASA award winners, and subject and name indexes. (RM)