The University Bookman

Reviewing Books that Build Culture

Join friends of the Bookman in New York City on December 8, 2025 for the Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture.

William F. Buckley Jr.: Literary Figure

“…the American public intellectual might best be appreciated as a literary figure. Producing about 350,000 words for publication yearly at the peak of his career, Buckley was never at a loss for what to say or how to say it.”

Defending the Christian Faith

“In 100 Tough Questions For Catholics: Common Obstacles To Faith Today… David G. Bonagura, Jr. gives bite-sized answers to dozens of big questions about the faith.”

Natural Law and the Need for Moral Clarity

“Christians need clarity on the way their faith shapes their political activity. This ambiguous book fails to provide that clarity.”

Moral Realism Over and Against Contingent Pluralism

“The challenge for… all natural law theorists is the proper ordering and integration of the contingencies of a given culture and the universality of the primary precepts of natural law.”

History on Improper Principles

“The condescending attitude—even animus—behind this book is, in fact, among the reasons Trump came to power in the first place. Voters, clearly sick of being sneered at by elites like Lichtman and his colleagues in the established commentariat, have turned to populism as an outlet for their frustrations.”

Morality in Adam Smith

by Gregory M. Collins | Aug 20, 2023

“Liberty in the Smithian sense was not exercised by utility-maximizing atoms but by relational creatures in community. Klein… shows that the advent of Smith-inspired liberal political economy was grounded in natural jurisprudence and moral philosophy.”

The Travels of the Ever Sesquipedalian William F. Buckley, Jr.

by Mark G. Brennan | Aug 13, 2023

“Before technology turbocharged our lives, Buckley noted in 1995 that ‘everyday life moves fast.’ However, he learned that ‘a sailboat forces you to slow down…'”

Non-Western Conservatism

by Matthew Slaboch | Aug 13, 2023

“…Robinson manages to trace the genesis and development of conservatism in Russia across three very different epochs.”

The Personal Foundation of Reality

by David Weinberger | Aug 13, 2023

“…the source of reality itself must be personal in some way. As Rasmussen puts it: ‘A big thesis, then, that emerges from my inquiry is this: reality is deeply personal…”

Our Republic and How We Lost It: Philip Hamburger on the Structure of Self-Government

by Bruce P. Frohnen | Aug 6, 2023

“For decades, Philip Hamburger has been writing penetrating analyses of Americans’ descent from citizens of a constitutional republic to subjects, not of a soft, but of a ‘sinister’ despotism.”

A Cure For Boredom

by Henry T. Edmondson III | Aug 6, 2023

“Kevin Hood Gary’s book… is an important contribution to the Aristotelian tradition, which emphasizes the importance of how human beings use their free time.”

Communism: Product of the Fallen West

by Joseph Tuttle | Jul 30, 2023

“The reason the Western world should fear Communism, according to Sheen, is not because it is a strong force but rather because the West is weak due to the fact that it has turned away from God and morality.”

Institutionally Preaching the Gospel: The Right Words Are Necessary

by Jennie Bradley Lichter | Jul 30, 2023

“…[Alvaré] offer[s] a detailed road map for conveying more compellingly the truth of Church teaching about difficult matters of human sexuality and why it requires Church institutions to behave differently.”