Morphology: An Introduction to the Theory of Word-Structure

Peter Matthews' textbook (1st edition from 1974) is definitely THE classic textbook on morphology for its time and context (late 20th century post-Chomsky American linguistics). Unlike other introductory morphology textbooks, it places little emphasis on the latest theories of the month, focusing instead on the major problems faced in describing systematically the structure of words in various languages. It does this through extended, careful examination of concrete language data. Yet at the same time, the book has historically played an important role in the development of morphology in the US during the last 30 years, by articulating the basics of the Word-and-Paradigm approach to morphology as an alternative to the traditional structuralist dichotomy (Item-and-Arrangement vs. Item-and-Process).This is just the best place for a student of morphology to start.