Principles of Government

Books contain the ideas, make the arguments, and preserve the history necessary for the maintenance and perpetuation of liberty. Reading the Right Books is a practical list of thoughtful and accessible books — not the “classics” but solidly good books — recommended to provide a general framework around which the reader can build a firmer structure of political knowledge. Edited and annotated by Lee Edwards, the Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought at The Heritage Foundation, Reading the Right Books is a guide for intelligent, conservative-minded readers who want to prepare themselves for a public life of thought and action, and so seek to know more about politics, public policy and modern conservative thought, as well as literature, economics, religion, history, and statesmanship. Conservative thought The Road To Serfdom – F. A. Hayek – 1944 The Conservative Mind: From Burke To Santayana – Russell Kirk – 1955 Neoconservatism: The Autobiography Of An Idea – Irving Kristol – 1995 The Conservative Intellectual Movement In America Since 1945 – George Nash – 1976 The March Of Freedom: Modern Classics In Conservative Thought – Edwin Feulner 2003 Liberty And Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto – Mark Levine – 2009 We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future – Matthew Spalding – 2009 Economics Economics In One Lesson: The Shortest And Surest Way To Understand Basic Economics – Henry Hazelit – 1946 Liberalism: A Socio-Economic Exposition – Ludwig von Mises- 1978 Capitalism And Freedom – Milton Friedman – 1962 A Humane Economy: The Social Framework Of The Free Market – William Roepke – 1960 Wealth And Poverty – George Gilder – 1981 The Mystery Of Capital: Why Capitalism Trounced In The West And Fails Everywhere Else – Hernando DeSoto – 2000 The Spirit Of Democratic Capitalism – Michael Novak – 1982 Statesmanship George Washington: The Indispensable Man – James Thomas Flexner – 1974 Churchill: A Life – Martin Gilbert 1991 Religion Mere Christianity – CS Lewis – 1943 The Naked Public Squire: Religion And Democracy In America – Richard John Neuhaus – 1984 American history The Roots Of American Order – Russell Kirk – 1974 Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins Of The Constitution – Forrest McDonald – 1985 Totalitarianism Communism: A History – Richard pipes – 2001 The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich: A History Of Nazi Germany – William Shirer – 1960 The God That Failed – Andre Gade, Richard Wright, Ignacio C Loney, Stephen Spender, Arthur Kessler, Louis Fisher – 1950 The Great Terror: Stalin’s Purge Of The Thirties – Robert Conquest – 1968 The Black Book Of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression, – Steven Courtois et al. – 1999 World History Dynamics of world history – Christopher Dawson – 2002 The Roads To Modernity: The British, French, And American Enlightenments, – Gertrude Himmelfarb – 2004 From Dawn To Decadence: 500 Years Of Western Cultural Life, 1500 To The Present – Jacques Barzun – 2000 Civilization On Trial – Arnold Toynbee – 1948 World Politics The Cold War: The New History, – John Lewis Gaddis – 205 Of Paradise And Power: America And Europe In The New World Order – Robert Kagan – 2003 The Clash Of Civilizations And The Remaking Of World Order – Samuel Huntington -1996 Liberty’s Best Hope: American Leadership For The 21st Century – Kim Holmes – 2008 Public policy Losing Ground: American Social Policy 1950 – 1980 – Charles Murray – 1984 The Dream And The Nightmare: The 60s Legacy To The Underclass – Myron Magnet – 1993 The Tragedy Of American Compassion –– Marvin Olasky – 1992 Political culture The Closing Of The American Mind – Alan Bloom – 1987 Illiberal Education: The Politics Of Race And Sex On Campus – Denish D’Souza – 1991 This list is not comprehensive as there are great numbers of wonderful books on history, biography, economics, government, political philosophy, national defense, sociology, etc. In sociology, misleading, inaccurate and propaganda dominated books greatly outnumber the valuable ones. All of the books by Charles Murray are terrific. Several give excellent insights into important sociological issues. A far more comprehensive and sophisticated website covering books on political thought is the Online Library of The Liberty Fund – oll.libertyfund.org. It is an excellent resource. Read More