Russell Kirk

James E. Person Jr. worked in reference publishing for over 30 years, writing for and editing such distinguished reference works as Major Twentieth-Century Writers, Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. His essays, article, and reviews have appeared in Modern Age, National Review, The University Bookman, and The Sewanee Review, among many other venues. He is the editor of The Unbought Grace of Life: Essays in Honor of Russell Kirk and the author of Earl Hamner: From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow.

In this highly accessible and readable introduction to the life and works of Russell Kirk, Person provides a coherent and convincing analysis of Kirk’s enduring significance to American politics and humane learning. Originally published in 1999, the volume…remains an excellent contribution to scholarship. Person’s mission is to introduce a new generation to ‘one of the greatest minds this nation has produced during the twentieth century.’ The book is organized into four sections that outline Kirk’s achievement. The first is devoted to interpreting Kirk’s background, use of historical consciousness, views on education, and constitutionalism. The second critiques Kirk’s devotion to the importance of literature and social criticism. The last two sections survey Kirk’s economic thought and his lasting importance as a political thinker. The greatest contribution of this worthwhile volume can be found in the author’s review of Kirk’s defense of a social order grounded in justice and the diffusion of political power.Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.