Why do so many think of Leonard Bloomfield's, Language, as a masterpiece?

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<a href="http://qanda.encyclopedia.com/question/why-do-so-many-think-leonard-bloomfield-language-masterpiece-136601.html" >Why do so many think of Leonard Bloomfield's, Language, as a masterpiece?</a>

It had a profound influence on linguistics, for it was a clear statement of principles that became axiomatic, notably that language study must always be centered in the spoken language, as against documents; that the definitions used in grammar should be based on the forms of the language, not on the meanings of the forms; and that a given language at a given time is a complete system of sounds and forms that exist independently of the past—so that the history of a form does not explain its actual meaning ...