Portrait of a Genius
Portraits of Wittgenstein, Abridged edition Edited by F. A. Flowers III and Ian Ground. Bloomsbury Academic, 2018. Paperback, 512 pages, $48. Reviewed by Frank Freeman The most infamous “episode” in the life of Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)...
A Plodding Penn
William Penn: A Life Andrew R. Murphy Oxford University Press, 2018. Hardcover, 488 pages, $35. Reviewed by Carl Rollyson By the time William Penn (1644–1718) received his charter in 1681 from King Charles II for a new American colony he was already behind the times....
The Possibilities and Impossibilities of Willmoore Kendall
by Joshua Tait There are many legends about the political theorist Willmoore Kendall. A great deal of them are true. He was a founding editor of National Review. He reported on the Spanish Civil War. He worked in military intelligence. He spoke three languages and...
A Compelling and Contradictory Prophet
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight. Simon and Schuster, 2018. Hardcover, 888 pages, $37.50. Reviewed by Annelisa J. Purdie Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) is a remarkable and compelling figure in American history. His portraits are among the most...
Ah, just your typical 663-page light summer beach read for a @ubookman book review. Makes Wealth of Nations look like a Substack essay.