Vladeck on the Supreme Court
Image: Dr. Stephen Vladeck In his 2023 book The Shadow Docket, University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck explores the underside of Supreme Court rulings, many of which have been…
The Style of Horace
Photo: W. H. Auden The subject of this book on poetry is the alcaic metre. You may be forgiven for not being familiar with it, as it has only rarely…
MILTON: He Shows Us How to be Dauntless
I take the title of my review directly from the text of this book by Stephen Dobranski. As one of the world’s leading experts on John Milton, Dobranski brings his…
Aristotle on Human Nature
Interpreting what Aristotle meant has exercised scholars for centuries. This edited book (written by 14 scholars) looks at one of his densest philosophical forays, his definition of a human being.…
A Theological Debate
One measure of a book for me is whether or not I can reference it in one of my own scientific/historical studies. This book passes that test, as I have…
American Industry in WW II
In opening his address at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, author Craig Nelson invoked the memory of Joseph Stalin. Despite being the personification of evil, he was our ally…
George Shultz and the Cold War
Those who have any interest in US foreign policy during the last 50 years know the name George Shultz, a towering figure in diplomacy in the Reagan years. Like his…
Reading it Wrong
Image: Alexander Pope Dr. Abigail Williams, professor of eighteenth-century studies at the University of Oxford, makes a startling admission in this book. As a teacher of 18thC literature, she would…
The Light and Dark Sides of God
Photo: Jacob Boehme I take the title of this review from a book title of 1650. It appears near the end of this fascinating book by Kevin Killeen, Professor in…
Challenges of the Baroque
Baroque was not a term used at the time we now think of as the Baroque era, but it is the classic term for that which is not classic, referring…