The University Bookman

Reviewing Books that Build Culture

What the American Revolution Secured: Order, Justice, and Freedom

Throughout the semiquincentennial year celebrating America’s independence, The University Bookman will invite a range of writers and speakers to contribute to a series drawing upon Russell Kirk’s work on the American Revolution and the constitutional order it secured.

Gordon Wood and the Verisimilitudes of Consensus History

“…Wood’s bold and consistent emphasis was on the revolutionary nature not just of the American Revolution but of America itself… The only sense of nationhood and national purpose, in Wood’s rendering, came from the Revolution…”

Forming the American Imagination

“Culture-making and imagination formation—in short, the education of the affections—though movies, music, and literature have been left almost entirely to those who view the inherited Western and American tradition with suspicion, if not outright contempt.”

A Man for All Seasons

“His latest book is a collection of essays that reflect the breadth of his interests and the power of his pen. [It] contains delightful ruminations on matters as diverse as his home state of California, his teachers and heroes, domestic culture and politics, foreign affairs, and the miscellaneous diversions that have occupied his lively mind.”

“To Help Man Endure by Lifting His Heart”: Earl Hamner at 100

“To Help Man Endure by Lifting His Heart”: Earl Hamner at 100

“Through his work, Earl Hamner not only became one of America’s favorite storytellers; he also became a conservator of the truth that though the modern world disdains the past and elevates immediacy, wealth, and power, the true measure of life’s meaning lies in love, grace, gentleness, forgiveness, and joy.”

Real Natural Law 

Real Natural Law 

“The existence of God and his providential governance of the universe are the right subjects for public debate over the basis and content of natural law.”

Knights On a Darkling Plain

Knights On a Darkling Plain

“Kirk’s reminder speaks to the selflessness of those who defend the ‘permanent things’ and the importance of these things (family, community, faith, and tradition) to our world.”

Mysteries Require Odes, Not Emails

Mysteries Require Odes, Not Emails

“In this volume Christian verse encompasses religious themes addressed ‘explicitly or implicitly’ by poets, whether practicing or lapsed, ‘whose imagination is shaped by the tenets, symbols, and traditions of the faith.’

Every Mann

Every Mann

“…Mann blends those aforementioned Big Questions with little daily ones of eternal significance…”

Saving the West By Keeping It Real

Saving the West By Keeping It Real

“…Klavan applies his extensive knowledge of classical literature and the Western canon to properly frame today’s challenges and help people take appropriate action.”

The Book Gallery

A collection of conversations with Bookman editor Luke C. Sheahan and writers and authors of imagination and erudition. Click on the icon in the upper right corner of the video to see more episodes in this series or check out our YouTube page.

Finding Faith in Fiction
Christine Norvell on "Wondrous Reading: Encountering the Catholic Faith in Children’s Literature" by @LuElla_DAmico

A Man for All Seasons
@BradleyCSWatson (@HillsdaleInDC) on "Dispatches from the Late Republic: The Culture, Politics, and Prophets of American Greatness, Decline, and Rebirth" by Michael Anton. @EncounterBooks

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