Monthly Archives: August, 2016

Wealth, Poverty and Politics (2nd Edition) (Thomas Sowell)

Thomas Sowell’s latest book, published in 2015 and now revised a year later, is the usual tour-de-force. It’s not so much that there’s anything...

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection (Gardner Dozois ed.)

I have read all of the Dozois annual collections. And this one, the thirty-third, is the best. I applaud Dozois’ bold ability to collect...

Paper (Mark Kurlansky)

“Paper” is a book of interesting anecdotes, loosely linked by its theme. At the end of the book, the reader may say “what’s the...

Russell Kirk: American Conservative (Bradley Birzer)

Once upon a time, it seemed that Russell Kirk might, as he so devoutly wished, “redeem the time.” For two brief, shining moments, in...

Republics Ancient & Modern, Vol. 1: The Ancien Régime in Classical Greece (Paul Rahe)

In a sense, this is an introductory work. Not a work for beginners, but a work introducing the reader to Rahe’s broader conception of...

The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge (Matt Ridley)

“The Evolution Of Everything” is a hard book to review, because it has no substance. Reviewing it is like reviewing a Cliff’s Notes or...

Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy (Francis Fukuyama)

“Political Order And Political Decay” is the second volume of Francis Fukuyama’s two-book exploration of the political formation of societies. Or, more precisely, how...

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (Robert Putnam)

This is a famous book, but “Bowling Alone” was not what I expected. What I expected was social commentary. What I got was social...