The University Bookman

Reviewing Books that Build Culture

Watch James Panero of the New Criterion discuss “The Urbanity of Russell Kirk” at the 2025 Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture.

The Urbanity of Russell Kirk

“The urban fabric must also be mended and darned through continuous upkeep. The city is not yours to experiment. From Russell to Russello, our ancestral spirits cast their shadows whether or not we choose to observe the city of god in the cities of men.”

Solzhenitsyn and the Spirituality of Self-Limitation

“…any so-called ‘progress’ or advancement of society must begin, always and everywhere, in the soul of the individual—not in the revolutionary fantasies of radical social reformers, whose aims work to dissolve the spiritual bonds that underlie the traditional fabric of human communities.”

How Should We Think About Inequality?

“The book’s ultimate claim is not that the rich are virtuous, but that a democracy hostile to wealth will not become more equal—it will become more centralized, more bureaucratic, and less free. In that sense, McGinnis’s argument is less a defense of inequality than a defense of constitutional humility.”

Enchanting Criticism: Dana Gioia as Literary Critic 

“Gioia’s latest book is a testament to the persistence of authentic criticism in an age suspicious of and even hostile to literary values.”

The Celebrity-Industrial Complex

The Celebrity-Industrial Complex

“Beaty points to a widespread spiritual hunger, a desire for intimacy and connection to something larger… In the absence of deep attachments to the real people around you, celebrity provides the façade of intimacy.

The Death and Life of Jane Jacobs’s Hometown

The Death and Life of Jane Jacobs’s Hometown

“Jane Jacobs is arguably not the main “character” of the book, however. It is Scranton itself, whose struggle to develop and survive in an ever-changing global economy makes it emblematic of American economic history.”

Ted McAllister’s Place: A Memorial Tribute

Ted McAllister’s Place: A Memorial Tribute

“Ted will, of course, be remembered most for his scholarship. But it is a testament to the right order of his soul that he lived in a manner that prioritized his faith, his family, and his primary vocation as a teacher over worldly success.”

Losing Homer

Losing Homer

“…while Homer is… critical of elements of battle, he is not necessarily an anti-war poet. War is awful, but it activates certain deeply human qualities that demonstrate true human greatness.”

In Defense of Maintenance 

In Defense of Maintenance 

According to Vinsel and Russell, “The Innovation Delusion is the false belief that the pursuit of innovation and novelty will lead us into the promised land of growth and profit when, in reality, it will lead us to ignore the ever-accumulating pile of deferred maintenance and infrastructural debt—and, in the process, lead individuals toward burnout and our society to accelerating levels of exploitation and inequality.” 

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.

@EvieSolheim By the way, the @KirkCenter takes literature, ethics, character formation, & cultural renewal seriously

Encourage you to participate in our @ubookman academic journal & the fellowship of our literary & academic community, enshrining what Dr. Kirk calls “the Moral Imagination”

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