As research on mobile technologies has grown dramatically, and the field has matured, there is a need for a reference work to offer an accessible guide to this research; a “rough guide,” or map, to its contours. There is the need for the key works by students, researchers coming fresh to the area, and those wishing to explore the area more deeply. In the spirit of the Routledge Major Works enterprise, for this first time this collection brings together in one easy-to-access set, the essential, “must-read” articles on one of the great technologies of our time. This set aims to bring together the dispersed work across the many disciplines that study mobile technologies. It aims to put them into historical, intellectual, and international context. As such we hope that it will provide a valuable research tool and pedagogic resource. To achieve this, we have aimed to integrate foundational texts and diverse perspectives, as well as the most significant and pioneering new material, to provide researchers, teachers, students, and practitioners alike with the best-known as well as the most crucial yet overlooked materials on this vital topic. In this introductory chapter, we explain how we have approached the difficult task of selecting papers for this Major Works: Mobile Technologies collection. Before we do discuss our concepts and procedures for selection, let’s step back to provide critical context. What is the field of mobile technologies research? How did it begin, and how has it evolved? While still quite a spring chicken amidst much older and venerable academic fields, what are its traditions, theoretical approaches and methods? What are its foundational and orienting concepts? Who are its cast of characters, and key figures, institutions, and research outlets? And what are its notable twists and turns, epistemic breaks and ruptures? What are the significant new developments worth watching, and what can one read, and engage with, to understand where research is heading
