While a key goal of the blog is to talk in depth about particular books and ideas, I want to start with some very quick surveys. These are intended simply to mention books that I’ve found particularly insightful, thought-provoking, or interesting. I’m organizing them by topic into what I call the Renaissance Reader’s Library, playing off the concept of the Renaissance Man as a scholar whose interests bridge multiple disciplines. These posts will be different from my usuals in that they will be “living” documents, with new books added periodically.
Here we have a wide range of books—basically anything non-business related and non-biographical. Topics can range from politics to history to discourse on society and human nature; all of this is fair game. Note: most recently read books can be found at the top of the list.
A Patriot’s History of the United States
Larry Schweikart/Michael Allen
One of the sources for our “One Country, Two Histories” series, Patriot’s is a highly conservative (in the American sense) take on U.S. history. While the books bias is particularly egregious in its coverage of the 21st century, the historical matter is thorough and well-cited, and the book can be thought of as an ongoing summary of American political disputes, with the trend of American growth and enrichment throughout. If you are curious whether there is a systemic bias toward either work, note this: when I search for Patriot’s on Amazon, there is a promoted link to People’s…but not the other way around.
A People’s History of the United States
Howard Zinn
Although the title is only off by one word, Zinn’s book could not be more different from Patriot’s. People’s focuses on untold and overlooked aspects of American history, providing a vantage point most Americans will not be taught in schools. These are important parts of American history and should be taken seriously. I differ from Zinn not by denying his facts, but by ascribing a different root cause. To him, the injustice he describes is a result of the capitalist system in general, and the American system in particular. To me, it is a result of fundamental human nature.
The Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli
An absolute classic of realpolitik and statecraft. Machiavelli’s 16th century work is a how-to guide for monarchs, blending realism and human nature with the concepts of justice and great power politics.
Two Treatises of Government
John Locke
While Locke’s foundational work is often given a passing reference in civics classes, the work is all the more compelling when we remember that it took positions highly controversial at the time it was written. Still, Locke’s ideas endure and form the basis of much of what America was founded on.
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
Often referencing in passing in U.S. classrooms as a survey of American exceptionalism (citing the “laboratory for democracy” line), this book gives a much more nuanced account than it gets credit for. Tocqueville sees America as a clear-eyed, mid-19th century outsider, and discusses a wide range of topics—what makes America’s system possible for some countries but not others, the likely future of race relations in the country, and the constant dangers of tyranny inherent in democratic governments.
The U.S. Constitution, and Other Writings
Several authors
This was an unlikely find at my local Costco. It includes documents relevant to America’s story, from the Mayflower Compact to the Civil Rights Act, from Federalist Papers to the U.N. Charter documents. I think portions of this should be required reading for all high school students.
The Gulag Archipelago
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
This work is a monstrous pillar of man’s inhumanity to man, couched in the bureaucratic nightmare that Russia has been for centuries, through the lens of a single person. I only read the first volume of this work, which doesn’t even begin to cover Solzhenitsyn’s time in gulag camps. Yet the sheer immensity of Russia’s Stalin-era tyranny still comes through in full force.
The Soul of the Russian Revolution
Moissaye J Olgin
A lesser-known book written by a Russian Jew who emigrated to the U.S. prior to the revolution, but remained sympathetic to Soviets. Olgin wrote this book in 1917 following the February revolution that removed the Tsar from power, but before the October revolution that brought Lenin and the Bolsheviks to the forefront. As such, his book is less an advocate for communism and more an explanation of the Tsarist regime’s ills and evils—of which there were no shortage. I was amused at the irony of the book’s timing, and also the parallels it bears to The Gulag Archipelago.
The Conservative Sensibility
George F Will
In a country where the terms “conservative” and “liberal” are continually being redefined, Will provides a compelling and thorough definition of the former. He contrasts conservatism with the progressivism that took root in the early 1900s—less from a policy lens than a philosophical one—and connects differing political stripes to fundamentally different views of the human condition. He makes no pretense of indifference, but it remains a thought-provoking piece.
A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World
William Bernstein
Bernstein tells the story of world trade through an engaging narrative lens, from the ancient Middle East to the complexity of trade agreements and the WTO. It’s one of those books that is easy to read quickly due to the writer’s style.
The Closing of the American Mind
Allan Bloom
Written in the 1980s, this piece laments the philosophical desertification of American universities. The critique fires from multiple angles: the tradition of Western thought from Socrates to Nietzsche, the modern cultural factors that leave students with impoverished souls, and the universities that fail their part in the social contract. Despite its age, the book resonates even stronger today.
The Road to Character
David Brooks
Brooks explores the idea of character using case studies of past exemplars, from George Marshall to George Eliot. It’s a sobering and inspiring reminder of the struggles with self that make us human.
The Social Animal
David Brooks
Imitating the narrative style of Rousseau’s Emile, The Social Animal details the roles of socialization and psychology using the lives of apocryphal characters. I consider this an absolute must-read for anyone interested in basic psychology and how people think.
Emile, or On Education
Jean-Jacque Rousseau
Rousseau wrote the Enlightenment’s piece on education, and he does not mince words. His scathing criticisms of parents and society ring true today and show how little has changed. Much of what he says is too blunt for modern ears—and some of it is probably truly out of touch—but others of his points are unpopular simply because they are true.
Sons of the Profits
William C Speidel
Written by a native Seattleite, this book details the story of the greed and recalcitrance that helped Seattle’s early settlers transform the city into the metropolis it became. The story ends at the turn of the 20th century, missing the impacts from Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing, and other great businesses that fueled Seattle’s economy in recent decades. But it sets a great foundation through its irreverent and hilarious storytelling.
Common Sense
Joel Greenblatt
Most of Joel Greenblatt’s books, like The Little Book that Beats the Market and You Can Be a Stock Market Genius would belong in the finance section. But Common Sense turns away from the investing world and toward some of the most pressing issues facing the U.S., including a lagging education system and an irrational immigration system. The solutions he proposes are, as he describes them, simple “common sense”. He goes further, exploring incentive misalignments that lead to some of the issues he mentions.
Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy
Henry Kissinger
In this recent world, Kissinger highlights six notable statesmen that defined their eras—from Margaret Thatcher to Anwar Sadat, Charles de Gaulle, and Lee Kuan Yew. It is an excellent survey of the qualities that make for great statesmanship, and how Kissinger fears coming generations may lack some of these qualities.
Scalia Speaks
Antonin Scalia
This is not a biography; it is a collection of former Justice Scalia’s writings and speeches covering a variety of topics, published after his death. Scalia lays out a clear-eyed approach to American jurisprudence.
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples
Winston Churchill
Yes, that Winston Churchill. The great man was a prolific writer. While his history is hardly the definitive history of Britain and America, it remains interesting to see how Churchill viewed the world during his time, and his unshakable faith in the exceptional bond between the Brits and Americans. He does not neglect the more distant past, devoting an entire volume to the English monarchy prior to the Wars of the Roses—this provides an excellent view into the structures upon which kings depended for power.
The Civil War: A Narrative
Shelby Foote
I cannot stress enough: The Civil War is the finest work of history I have ever had the privilege to read. Written in three enormous volumes, this master work covers America’s struggle for identity as it occurred at the time—not as academics have sought to redefine it. He draws on a wealth of primary source writings from both sides of the conflict, and provides the most thorough explanation I’ve encountered of how southern leaders truly thought about their role in the struggle. Any student who wishes to truly understand this chapter of American history should not be daunted by the staggering length of the piece—it is well worth the investment, although audio may be the preferred medium.
The End of the World is Just the Beginning
Peter Zeihan
Self-described “professional gist-er” Zeihan integrates demographic, agricultural, geographic, and geopolitical factors into this book, which ends up representing virtually a series of thought-out predictions. While his thinking is clear, some of his calls, like the expectation of a regime collapse in China, may feel a bit far-fetched. It’s still a fascinating read and helps give some framework for evaluating macro factors when thinking about the world.
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
Ray Dalio
This was an especially interesting one right on the heel’s of Zeihan’s book. Hedge fund founder Ray Dalio takes a different approach to forecasting the future, by looking at long-term financial and economic cycles that play out over centuries. His takes are often highly dissimilar from Zeihan’s, especially concerning China.
The Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli
Political science through the lens of the Italian Renaissance. Machiavelli has subsequently adopted a reputation for promoting unscrupulous self-interestedness, but I dispute that this was his intention. Instead, he offers practical advice for any monarch, and suggests that ultimately the pleasure of the people is as necessary to a prince as it would be to a president.
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