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Bookshelf
The conservative bookshelf: one hundred essential books, what each argues, and why it still matters.
1776 David McCullough's 2005 account of the pivotal year of the Revolution, centered on Washington and the Continental Army's near-collapse. A Conflict of Visions Thomas Sowell's account of the constrained and unconstrained visions of human nature that sort political disputes into two camps. A History of the American People Paul Johnson's 1997 one-volume history of the United States, a sympathetic and opinionated account of an exceptional nation. A Matter of Interpretation Justice Antonin Scalia's 1997 Tanner Lectures, defending textualism and originalism, with responses by four scholars. A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz's 1963 study that blamed the Federal Reserve's failures for the severity of the Great Depression. A Republic, If You Can Keep It Justice Neil Gorsuch's 2019 reflections on the Constitution, the judge's role and civic virtue, with stories from his career. Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation Ronald Reagan's 1984 essay arguing that the nation must confront the moral question of abortion, with essays by Malcolm Muggeridge and Mother Teresa. Alexander Hamilton Ron Chernow's 2004 biography of the first Treasury secretary, who built the financial system of the republic, and the source of a Broadway musical. An American Life Ronald Reagan's 1990 autobiography, from his Illinois boyhood to Hollywood, the governorship and the presidency. Anarchy, State, and Utopia Robert Nozick's 1974 case that only a minimal state is justified, and that patterned redistribution violates individual rights. Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand's 1957 novel in which the creative minds of a nation go on strike, an epic dramatization of her philosophy of rational self-interest. Basic Economics Thomas Sowell's plain-language economics for non-economists, built on scarcity, incentives and trade-offs, without graphs or equations. Battle Cry of Freedom James McPherson's 1988 one-volume history of the Civil War era, the standard Pulitzer-winning narrative from the 1850s to Appomattox. Capitalism and Freedom Milton Friedman's 1962 case that economic freedom is a condition of political freedom, with proposals from school vouchers to floating exchange rates. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy Joseph Schumpeter's 1942 classic describing creative destruction and predicting that capitalism's success would erode its own support. Churchill: Walking with Destiny Andrew Roberts's 2018 one-volume life of Winston Churchill, drawing on newly available papers, which defends him as a hero despite his flaws. Coming Apart Charles Murray's 2012 study of a growing divide between a new upper class and a new lower class in industry, marriage and community life. Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States Justice Joseph Story's 1833 three-volume treatise, the first comprehensive commentary on the Constitution, defending a strong national government. Commentaries on the Laws of England William Blackstone's four-volume survey of English law, 1765 to 1769, the textbook through which common-law ideas reached the American founders. Common Sense Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet that argued plainly for American independence and the end of monarchy, and persuaded a public. Coolidge Amity Shlaes's 2013 biography of Calvin Coolidge, defending his economy and restraint as a model of limited government. Crisis of the House Divided Harry Jaffa's 1959 reading of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, defending Lincoln's appeal to the Declaration's principles. Darkness at Noon Arthur Koestler's 1940 novel of an Old Bolshevik who is imprisoned and made to confess, an inside view of the Moscow show trials. Democracy in America Tocqueville's two-volume portrait of the young United States, praising its liberty and warning of the soft despotism that equality can invite. Economics in One Lesson Henry Hazlitt's 1946 primer that teaches readers to look past the visible effects of a policy to its unseen and long-term consequences. Free to Choose Milton and Rose Friedman's 1980 popular defense of markets and limited government, written with a ten-part television series. God and Man at Yale William F. Buckley Jr.'s 1951 debut, charging that Yale taught collectivism and hostility to religion while claiming academic freedom. Hillbilly Elegy J. D. Vance's 2016 memoir of growing up in a struggling Ohio and Kentucky Appalachian family, and of the culture of the white working class. Human Action Ludwig von Mises's 1949 treatise founding economics on the logic of purposeful action, with a rigorous argument that socialism cannot calculate. Ideas Have Consequences Richard Weaver's 1948 argument that Western civilization's decline began when it abandoned belief in transcendent truth for nominalism. In Defense of Freedom Frank Meyer's 1962 statement of fusionism, uniting traditional virtue and individual liberty as the program of American conservatism. Intellectuals and Society Thomas Sowell's 2009 analysis of intellectuals as people whose product is ideas, who face no accountability for being wrong. John Adams David McCullough's 2001 Pulitzer-winning biography of the second president, a stubborn, learned and honest founder. Life at the Bottom Theodore Dalrymple's 2001 essays, drawn from his work as a prison and hospital doctor, on how elite ideas created a British underclass. Losing Ground Charles Murray's 1984 case that the War on Poverty's incentives left the poor worse off, which shaped the 1996 welfare reform. Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis's classic of Christian apologetics, drawn from wartime radio talks, which argues from moral law to belief and sets out the common core of the faith. Miracle at Philadelphia Catherine Drinker Bowen's 1966 narrative of the Constitutional Convention, a classic account of how the framers hammered out the compromises. Modern Times Paul Johnson's 1983 history of the twentieth century, tracing its tragedies to relativism and the rise of the all-powerful state. My Early Life Winston Churchill's 1930 memoir of his boyhood, schooling, army service and escape in the Boer War, a classic of English prose. My Grandfather's Son Justice Clarence Thomas's 2007 memoir of his rise from Pin Point, Georgia, to the Supreme Court, and of his confirmation battle. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Frederick Douglass's 1845 autobiography of his enslavement and escape, a landmark of American literature and an indictment of slavery. Natural Right and History Leo Strauss's 1953 critique of historicism and positivism, defending the classical idea that justice has a standard in nature. Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell's 1949 novel of a totalitarian state that controls truth itself, and the standard warning about surveillance and propaganda. On Liberty John Stuart Mill's classic defense of free thought and individual liberty, limited only by the harm principle. Orthodoxy G. K. Chesterton's 1908 spiritual autobiography, a witty defense of Christian belief as the creed that best fits the facts of life. Political Debates Between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas The seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates in which Lincoln argued against the spread of slavery and Douglas defended popular sovereignty. Radical Son David Horowitz's 1997 memoir of his path from red-diaper childhood and the New Left to conservatism, and the lessons he drew. Rationalism in Politics Michael Oakeshott's essays attacking the belief that politics is a technique to be mastered, and defending practical knowledge and tradition. Reading Law Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner's 2012 treatise on interpretation, setting out fifty-seven canons for reading statutes and contracts. Reagan, in His Own Hand The radio commentaries Reagan wrote himself in 1975 to 1979, which show his thinking before the presidency. Reflections of a Neoconservative Essays by Irving Kristol, the founder of neoconservatism, on capitalism, culture, foreign policy and the failure of the liberal faith. Reflections on the Revolution in France Edmund Burke's 1790 warning that the French Revolution's abstract rights would end in terror, and the founding text of modern conservatism. Restoring the Lost Constitution Randy Barnett's 2004 argument that courts should presume liberty and hold government to its enumerated powers and the original meaning. Slouching Towards Gomorrah Robert Bork's 1996 pessimistic account of how radical individualism and egalitarianism have corroded American culture and law. Suicide of the West James Burnham's 1964 argument that liberalism is the ideology of Western decline, a doctrine of guilt that disarms civilization. Takings Richard Epstein's 1985 argument that the Takings Clause bars regulation that reduces property value without compensation. The Abolition of Man C. S. Lewis's short defense of objective moral values, and his warning about schooling that treats them as feelings. The Benedict Option Rod Dreher's 2017 call for Christians to build tight-knit communities, schools and practices that preserve the faith against secular culture. The Calculus of Consent James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock's 1962 founding work of public choice, applying economic reasoning to voting, legislatures and constitutional rules. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order Samuel Huntington's 1996 argument that post-Cold War conflict will run along the fault lines between cultural and religious civilizations. The Closing of the American Mind Allan Bloom's 1987 bestseller arguing that relativism and German philosophy emptied American universities and their students. The Conscience of a Conservative Barry Goldwater's 1960 manifesto, a short statement of limited government, states' rights and anticommunism that launched a movement. The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 George H. Nash's 1976 history of how libertarians, traditionalists and anticommunists were assembled into a movement. The Conservative Mind Russell Kirk's 1953 history of conservative thought from Burke onward, which named a movement and gave it a canon of principles. The Constitution of Liberty Hayek's 1960 case that freedom means freedom from coercion under general law, and that planning and the welfare state quietly erode it. The Downing Street Years Margaret Thatcher's 1993 memoir of her eleven years as prime minister, covering privatization, the Falklands, the Cold War and her fall. The Everlasting Man G. K. Chesterton's 1925 answer to H. G. Wells's history, arguing that man and Christ are unique and cannot be explained as ordinary products of evolution. The Fatal Conceit Hayek's last book, arguing that socialism rests on the illusion that reason can design an order better than traditions and markets that evolved. The Federalist The 85 essays by Hamilton, Madison and Jay, written in 1787 and 1788 to win ratification of the Constitution, and still its best commentary. The Forgotten Man Amity Shlaes's 2007 revisionist history of the Depression, arguing that New Deal experiments prolonged hardship. The Fractured Republic Yuval Levin's 2016 history of postwar American politics, and a call to rebuild the middle layer of civil society. The Gathering Storm Winston Churchill's 1948 first volume of his war memoirs, covering the years of appeasement and the failure to stop Hitler. The Great Debate Yuval Levin's 2014 account of the Burke-Paine quarrel over the French Revolution as the origin of the modern left-right divide. The Gulag Archipelago Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's account of the Soviet forced-labor camps, compiled from testimony, which exposed communist terror to the world. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution Bernard Bailyn's 1967 study of the pamphlets that show colonists fearing a conspiracy against liberty, and the ideas that moved them to revolt. The Law Frédéric Bastiat's 1850 pamphlet arguing that law should only protect life, liberty and property, and that legal plunder is its great corruption. The Naked Public Square Richard John Neuhaus's 1984 argument that excluding religion from public debate leaves a vacuum that the state fills. The New Science of Politics Eric Voegelin's 1952 argument that modern ideologies are Gnostic heresies, and that a political order needs its symbols of transcendence. The Quest for Community Robert Nisbet's 1953 study of how the modern state grows as families, churches and local groups weaken, leaving individuals isolated. The Radicalism of the American Revolution Gordon Wood's 1992 Pulitzer-winning argument that the Revolution transformed a hierarchical colonial society into a democratic, commercial one. The Revolt of the Masses Ortega y Gasset's 1930 diagnosis of mass man, who demands rights and comforts but accepts no duty, and the danger he poses to civilization. The Road to Serfdom F. A. Hayek's 1944 warning that economic planning leads, step by step, to the loss of political and personal freedom. The Screwtape Letters C. S. Lewis's 1942 satire, thirty-one letters from a senior devil to his nephew on tempting a man away from faith, which shows ordinary vices at work. The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism Michael Novak's 1982 defense of capitalism as part of a three-part system of free economy, democratic politics and a moral-cultural order. The Spirit of the Laws Montesquieu's 1748 comparison of governments, whose doctrine of separated powers shaped the American Constitution. The Strange Death of Europe Douglas Murray's 2017 argument that Europe is losing itself through mass migration and a failure of cultural confidence. The Strenuous Life Theodore Roosevelt's 1900 collection of speeches and essays preaching hard work, courage, national duty and civic responsibility. The Tempting of America Robert Bork's 1990 critique of judicial activism and defense of original understanding, written after his rejected Supreme Court nomination. The Theory of Moral Sentiments Adam Smith's first book, which grounds morality in sympathy and the impartial spectator, and gives the moral context for his later economics. The Unheavenly City Edward Banfield's 1970 argument that urban problems stem largely from class culture and that many remedies fail because they misdiagnose. The Vision of the Anointed Thomas Sowell's 1995 study of how elite opinion makers push policies by claiming moral superiority and ignoring contrary evidence. The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith's 1776 foundation of modern economics: division of labor, free exchange and limited government as the sources of national prosperity. Two Treatises of Government John Locke's argument that government exists by consent to protect life, liberty and property, and may be resisted when it betrays that trust. Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington's 1901 autobiography, which tells of his rise from slavery to found Tuskegee Institute and preaches self-help and education. Washington: A Life Ron Chernow's 2010 Pulitzer-winning biography of George Washington, portraying a driven, self-made and self-disciplined leader. Wealth and Poverty George Gilder's 1981 argument for supply-side economics and a moral defense of capitalism as an economy of giving and risk. What Is Marriage? Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George's 2012 philosophical case for marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Why Liberalism Failed Patrick Deneen's 2018 argument that liberal individualism has undermined the communities and virtues it needs, producing the populist backlash. Witness Whittaker Chambers's 1952 memoir of his communist underground work, his break with the party, and the Alger Hiss case, a landmark of American conservatism. Witness to Hope George Weigel's 1999 authorized biography of John Paul II, tracing his role in the fall of communism and his teaching.