Montesquieu and Rousseau: Forerunners of Sociology

I have first read this book several years ago; I have now came back to it and my first impressions have just been reasserted: it is a "must" reading for anyone interested in Durkheim's work. The reason is simple. This is one of Durkheim's early works, published in the same year as the monumental "Division of Labour in Society". However, contrary to the latter monograph, Durkheim here addresses the precursors of nineteenth-century sociology, trying to identify the antecedents of modern social sciences. In a word, if you want to fully understand Durkheim's influences and aims the careful reading of this early book is unavoidable.