Dialectology (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

Rating:
Summary: Still pulling it off the shelf ten years after the class
Review: I still pull this off the shelf now and then, ten years after taking the course that I bought it for.

The title is a bit of an understatement--it covers not just traditional dialectology, but sociolinguistics, as well. It's very readable, and a good introduction to the field(s).

Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: This is the essential textbook in this particular area of linguistics. I recommend this in tandem with Clive Uptons Excellent Atlas of English Dialects. An interesting book for even the casual reader. This was a set text at my university for the course on Dialectology.