Great Books
The Great Books are those that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting the foundation of Western Civilization. Mortimer J. Adler, Ph.D. lists three criteria for including a book on the list:
The selection of 66 Great Books below draws from Great Books lists by Mortimer J. Adler, Classical Christian Education Support Loop, and Laissez Faire, which contain additional books. Readers may enjoy meeting the minds of those who have contributed to Western Civilization. For a book that is available online, a link to the text of the book is provided. The earliest books are listed first below.
Great Books
Old Testament is the first part of Christian Bibles, based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh), a collection of ancient religious writings by the Israelites believed by most Christians and religious Jews to be the sacred Word of God. The text is available online.
Republic is a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is Plato’s best-known work, and has proven to be one of the world’s most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually and historically. The text is available online.
Politics is a work of political philosophy by Aristotle, a 4th-century BC Greek philosopher. He describes the happy life intended for man by nature as one lived in accordance with virtue, and describes the role that politics and the political community must play in bringing about the virtuous life in the citizenry. The book provides an analysis of the kinds of political community that existed in his time. The book shows that citizens must actively participate in politics if they are to be happy and virtuous, and presents an analysis of what causes and prevents revolution within political communities. The text is available online.
The Political Works of Marcus Tullius Cicero, vol. 1 (Treatise on the Commonwealth) by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero was a Roman politician and lawyer, who served as consul in 63 BC, and is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. His influence on the Latin language and the subsequent history of prose is immense. The Treatise on the Commonwealth explains Roman constitutional theory. He makes a connection between moral government and individual moral virtue. The text is available online.
New Testament is the second part of Christian Bibles, written at the end of the first century AD. The New Testament is a collection of writings that discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christianity. Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as the sacred Word of God. The text is available online.
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans by Plutarch, a Greek and Roman biographer and essayist, is a series of biographies of famous men, arranged in tandem to illustrate their common moral virtues or failings, written at the beginning of the second century AD. The book comprises 23 pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one Greek and one Roman, as well as four unpaired, single lives. It is a work of considerable importance, not only as a source of information about the individuals described, but also about the times in which they lived. The text is available online.
City of God is a book of Christian philosophy written by Augustine of Hippo, a Christian theologian and philosopher, in the early 5th century AD. The book was written in response to allegations that Christianity brought about the decline of Rome, and is considered one of Augustine’s most important works. It presents the importance of virtue for the advancement of a society. The text is available online.
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to “justify the ways of God to men.” The text is available online.
Pensées (Thoughts) is a Christian apologetics book by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, moralist, and theologian, that quickly became a classic, published in 1670. Pascal presents several philosophical paradoxes: infinite and nothingness, faith and reason, soul and matter, death and life, meaning and vanity, requiring humility and grace. The text is available online.
The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan, an English writer and preacher, in 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature. The text is available online.
The Two Treatises of Civil Government by John Locke, an English philosopher and physician, is his most famous work of political philosophy, published in 1689. The book is a defense of natural rights, especially property rights, and of government limited to protecting those rights. The text is available online.
A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke, an English philosopher and physician, was originally published in 1689. He states that government is instituted to promote external interests, relating to life, liberty, and the general welfare, while the church exists to promote internal interests, i.e., salvation. The two serve separate functions, and so, must be considered to be separate institutions. The text is available online.
Complete Works, vol. 1, The Spirit of Laws by Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, a French lawyer and political philosopher, is Montesquieu’s best known work, in which he reflects on the influence of climate on society, the separation of political powers, and the need for checks on a powerful executive office. The book was published in 1748. The text is available online.
Commentaries on the Laws of England is an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, an English jurist and politician, published in 1765–1769. The work is divided into four volumes, on the rights of persons, the rights of things, of private wrongs, and of public wrongs. The Commentaries were long regarded as the leading work on the development of English law, and played a role in the development of the American legal system. The text is available online.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is the greatest work of Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith, published in 1776. The book offers one of the world’s first collected descriptions of what builds a nation’s wealth, and is today a fundamental work in classical economics. By reflecting upon the economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the book touches upon broad topics, such as the division of labor, productivity, and free markets. The text is available online.
Poor Richard’s Almanack (sometimes Almanac) was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, an American statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat, who adopted the pseudonym of “Poor Richard” or “Richard Saunders” for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. It sold exceptionally well for a pamphlet published in the American colonies, and Franklin achieved success. The Almanack is a repository of Franklin’s aphorisms and proverbs, many of which live on in American English. These maxims typically counsel thrift, industry, and courtesy, such as in The Way to Wealth, published in 1757, which was popular in both America and England. The text is available online.
United States Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress, meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. The text is available online.
The Federalist is a collection of 85 articles and essays written under the pseudonym “Publius” by American Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. A two-volume compilation was published in 1788 as The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. The collection was commonly known as The Federalist until the name The Federalist Papers emerged in the 20th century. The text is available online.
The Complete Anti-Federalist is a seven-volume collection of the Anti-Federalist Papers compiled by Herbert Storing of the University of Chicago. Storing’s commentary points out that many “Anti-Federalists” actually considered themselves Federalists in the sense that a federation is a structure over sovereign states. The Anti-Federalists demanded and received a promise of a Bill of Rights, so that Ratification of the 1787 Constitution could occur. These writings are their unabridged arguments against a strong central government. The text by Morton Borden is available online.
United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. The Constitution was ratified in 1789, and has been amended 27 times. The text is available online.
Reflections on the Revolution in France is a political pamphlet written by the British statesman Edmund Burke, and published in 1790. Reflections is one of the best-known intellectual attacks against the French Revolution, and is a defining classic text of the political philosophy of conservatism. The text is available online.
A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity was written in 1797 by William Wilberforce, British Member of Parliament who brought about the abolition of the British slave trade. In the book, Wilberforce distinguishes between “nominal Christians” – who merely follow the traditions and motions of Christianity – and “true practical Christians” – who actively seek to behave and lead life in a Christian manner. The text is available online.
Democracy in America is a classic French text by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, political scientist, and historian, published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840. In the book, Tocqueville examines the democratic revolution over the previous several hundred years. The primary focus of the book is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in other places. For his book, Tocqueville collected information on American society, including its religious, political, and economic character. The text is available online.
The Law by Frédéric Bastiat, a French economist and statesman, explained how socialism must inevitably degenerate into communism. The same situation exists in America today as did in France of 1848. The same socialist-communist ideas and plans that were then adopted in France are now sweeping America. The explanations and arguments then advanced against socialism by the book are equally valid today. The book was published in 1850. The text is available online.
Speeches & letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865 is the complete works of Abraham Lincoln, an American statesman and lawyer, who served as the 16th President of the United States. The text is available online.
The Old Regime and the Revolution by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, political scientist, and historian, analyzes the French Revolution. The book, published in 1866, states that even though the French tried to dissociate themselves from the past and from the autocratic old regime, they eventually reverted to a powerful central government, in essence, a continuation of the royalist bureaucracy. The text is available online.
Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis by Ludwig von Mises, an Austrian-American economist, is the definitive, intellectual refutation of socialism, published in 1922. Mises presents a wide-ranging analysis of society, comparing the results of socialist planning with those of free-market capitalism. Economist Friedrich Hayek’s foreword comments on the continuing relevance of this great work: “Most readers today will find that Socialism has more immediate application to contemporary events than it had when it first appeared.” Mises identified the reasons why socialism would impoverish millions. Mises was vindicated by the collapse of the Soviet Union. The text is available online.
The Everlasting Man is a Christian apologetics book written by G. K. Chesterton, an English author, poet, philosopher, and literary and art critic, published in 1925. The book illustrates the spiritual journey of Western civilization. The text is available online.
A Study of History is a 12-volume universal history by the British historian Arnold J. Toynbee, published in 1934–61. Toynbee’s goal was to trace the development and decay of 19 world civilizations in the historical record, applying his model to each of these civilizations, detailing the stages through which they all pass: genesis, growth, time of troubles, universal state, and disintegration. The text is available online.
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis, a British novelist, poet, and professor at both Oxford University and Cambridge University, shows the abiding presence of human ideals cross-culturally in what he calls the Tao, arguing that its existence illustrates a Universal Natural Law to which all men must yield. The book was published in 1943. The text is available online.
The Road to Serfdom by Nobel Laureate economist Friedrich A. von Hayek showed that political liberty was impossible without economic liberty. The book explains how socialist government must use increasing amounts of coercion, and contains his famous chapter about why the worst in socialist governments rise to the top. The book was published in 1944. The text is available online.
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella and satirical tale by George Orwell, an English novelist, essayist, and critic, published in 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, he believed, had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality, and enforced by a reign of terror. The text is available online.
Economics in One Lesson is American journalist Henry Hazlitt’s best introductory case for economic liberty, which he wrote while working for the New York Times, and published in 1946. He rebuts the most destructive economic fallacies persisting to this day. The text is available online.
Communism and the Conscience of the West by Fulton J. Sheen, American Roman Catholic archbishop, provides some of the most sophisticated dissections of communism ever written. The book describes the dangers of communism generally, and its danger to the family and marriage in particular. The book displays Sheen’s exceptionally brilliant, philosophical mind and arguments. The book was published in 1948. Sheen was utterly prophetic.
Human Action by Austrian-American economist Ludwig von Mises presents the most comprehensive case for economic liberty ever written, and exposes the errors of every type of government intervention. The book was published in 1949. The text is available online.
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by American social philosopher Eric Hoffer, published in 1951, is essential for understanding the world today. The book gives concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement. The book presents ideas about the psychology of people that awaken or join mass movements. Hoffer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983. The text is available online.
Witness by Whittaker Chambers, American writer and editor, recounts the Alger Hiss trial as well as Chambers’ own experiences as a Communist agent in the United States, his later renunciation of communism, and his conversion to Christianity. Chambers’ worldview – “man without mysticism is a monster” – helped to make political conservatism a national force. The book was published in 1952.
The Opium of the Intellectuals by Raymond Aron, a French sociologist and political scientist, explains that in post-WW2 France, Marxism was the opium of the intellectuals. The title inverts Karl Marx’s claim that religion was the opium of the people. The book chastises French intellectuals for their harsh criticism of capitalism and democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and intolerance. The book was published in 1955. The text is available online.
Masters of Deceit by J. Edgar Hoover, then-Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, explains communism: what it is, how it works, what its aims are, why people become communists, strategy and tactics, methods of mass agitation and infiltration, the real dangers it poses, and what one can do now to combat the evils of the “false religion” of communism, so that one can stay free. The book was published in 1958. The text is available online.
The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen, former professor and FBI Special Agent, distills more than 100 books about communism, into one comprehensive, clarifying, and readable volume. Lauded as “the most powerful book on communism since J. Edgar Hoover’s Masters of Deceit,” it presents communism’s appeal, history, basic and unchanging concepts, and what one can do to stop communism. The book was published in 1958. The 2017 edition details how 44 of the 45 Communist Goals have already been achieved in the U.S. The text is available online.
Death in the City is a prescient book by Francis A. Schaeffer, an American theologian and philosopher. The book describes the death of Western culture, which is the outcome of turning away from God and the biblical truth upon which Western Civilization was built. This death of Western culture is the basis for many Western leaders permitting the destruction of their societies. The book presents a redemptive solution that God provides. The book, published in 1969, builds on his books The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, He Is There and He Is Not Silent, and his wife, author and co-founder of L’Abri, Edith Schaeffer’s book L’Abri.
For a New Liberty, The Libertarian Manifesto by Murray Rothbard, an American economist, philosopher, political theorist, and historian, promotes the view that life would be better without government interference. The book, published in 1973, explains how private individuals, working through free markets, can do just about everything that needs to be done. The text is available online.
The Machinery of Freedom, A Guide to a Radical Capitalism is a collection of essays by economist David D. Friedman, son of Milton and Rose Friedman, published in 1973. The book abounds with keen insights, and makes a case for free market medicine and free market environmental protection. The text is available online.
Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick, an American philosopher at Harvard University, was published in 1974. The book decisively refuted the egalitarian doctrine of distributive justice (basically, what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine). The book proceeds, step by step, to demolish the rationale for the welfare state. The text is available online.
Marx and Satan by Richard Wurmbrand, Romanian pastor, documents that Karl Marx and the fathers of the modern Communist/Socialist movements were inspired by the “prince of darkness,” who gave these men the “sword” by which they have terrorized the nations. Wurmbrand proves that this movement is “after the working of Satan” with the intent of destroying mankind. Wurmbrand reveals the true root of Marxist thinking so that people will recognize the evil, and stand against it. The book was published in 1976. The text is available online.
How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture is a brilliant book by Francis A. Schaeffer, an American theologian and philosopher. The book is an analysis of the key moments in history, which have formed Western culture, and the thinking of the people who brought those moments to pass. The books sheds light on the reasons for the decline of Western culture and for the rise of a ruling elite that permits the destruction of their societies, and explains the only viable alternative: a commitment to the truth of God's revelation in the Bible. The book was published in 1976. A deeply insightful and relevant film series of How Should We Then Live? also is available on DVD.
Free to Choose is a compelling case for economic liberty by Milton and Rose Friedman. The book, published in 1980, is adapted from the acclaimed TV documentary. Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman and his wife, free-market economist Rose Friedman make clear that those who give up liberty in the hopes of gaining security, end up losing both. Videos of the marvelous Free to Choose documentary are also available. The text is available online.
Knowledge and Decisions is the book that Thomas Sowell, an American economist, author, social theorist, and political philosopher, has said he considers his most important work, published in 1980. Building on insights from economist Friedrich Hayek, he explains that a successful society requires all kinds of knowledge, which, dispersed in the minds of millions, cannot be centralized. That is why governments tend to make bad decisions. The book is a profound critique of government intervention. Sowell is the most prolific author on liberty.
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman, an American scholar, media theorist, and cultural critic, states that civilization won’t fall to revolutionaries or communist regimes, but rather to entertainment, in a form of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. He traces America’s progression from a thinking man’s experiment in self-government, to an overindulged man’s circus, and demonstrates that today’s man has traded thought for amusement. This sobering look at society’s descent into socialism sounds a provocative alarm and calls the sober minded to the wakeful life that the liberal arts inspire. The book was published in 1985. The text is available online.
How the West Grew Rich, the Economic Transformation of the Industrialized World by American economists Nathan Rosenberg and L.E. Birdzell explains how the West achieved phenomenal prosperity much sooner than other regions of the world – some of which remain mired in poverty. The book, published in 1986, shows how material success was a byproduct of the struggle for liberty.
Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by American sociologist and scholar James Davison Hunter explains how the American “culture war” is about allegiances to different sources of moral authority. The divide is created by competing tendencies toward orthodoxy or progressivism, and efforts by these two polarized camps to define America and establish preeminence. The orthodox camp is committed to an “external, definable, and transcendent authority,” whereas the progressive camp defines moral authority “by the spirit of the modern age, a spirit of rationalism and subjectivism.” The book was published in 1991. The text is available online.
The Market Economy: A Reader edited by American economists James L. Doti and Dwight R. Lee, gathers together the very best writing about the philosophical underpinnings of economic liberty. The 44 selections include: F.A. Hayek (The Creative Powers of a Free Civilization), Milton Friedman (Social Responsibility of Business and Labor), and R.H. Coase (The Problem of Social Cost, the most widely-cited article in the entire economics literature). The book was published in 1991.
Simple Rules for a Complex World by Richard A. Epstein, an American scholar, lawyer, and author, presents a sophisticated case for scrapping most laws and regulations. The book was published in 1995.
The Ultimate Resource 2 by Julian L. Simon, an American professor of economics and business administration, presents how the ultimate resource is human ingenuity that makes other resources more plentiful. People innovate their way out of scarcity through greater efficiency, increased supply, or development of substitutes, leading to an improving world of growing population, increasing wealth, increasing food, and falling commodity prices. Human intellect can best be transformed into beneficial goods and services in an atmosphere of economic freedom and security. The book was published in 1996. The text is available online.
Principles for a Free Society, Reconciling Individual Liberty with the Common Good by Richard A. Epstein, an American scholar, lawyer, and author, tells why government efforts to remedy alleged market failures make people worse off. The book was published in 1998.
The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression by European scholars Stéphane Courtois, Andrzej Paczkowski, Nicolas Werth, Karel Bartosek, Ehrhart Neubert, and Jean-Louis Margolin documents the accomplishments of Communism around the world: terror, torture, famine, mass deportations, and massacres. The book comprehensively catalogues and analyzes the crimes of Communism against humanity and cultures over seventy years. The authors systematically show how and why, wherever the ideology of Communism was established, it quickly led to crime, terror, and repression, and to the deaths of 100 million people. The book was published in 1999. The text is available online.
More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well by Walter Williams, an American economist, commentator, and scholar, covers a solid round-up on issues of the day, such as race, sex, taxes, gun rights, government schools, Social Security – just about all the things people are debating today. He does it with wit and style. The book was published in 1999.
Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by legal scholar Mark R. Levin provides a philosophical, historical, and practical framework for revitalizing the conservative vision and ensuring the preservation of American society, in the face of the modern liberal assault on Constitution-based values. The book was published in 2009.
The Ruling Class: How They Corrupted America and What We Can Do About It is a profound and incisive book by Angelo M. Codevilla, professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University, published in 2010. The book presents the Ruling Class, the bipartisan political elites who run America. The Ruling Class does not represent the interests of the majority of Americans, who value self-rule and the freedom on which America was founded. The majority of Americans believe that the Ruling Class is demeaning, impoverishing, and demoralizing America, and are now reasserting their right to follow the Constitution, not the Ruling Class.
Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover’s Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath by historian George H. Nash is the culmination of an extraordinary literary project that Herbert Hoover launched during World War II, his “magnum opus,” published in 2011. The book focuses on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s foreign policies and the war’s consequences: the expansion of the Soviet empire at war’s end and the eruption of the Cold War against the Communists.
Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by legal scholar Mark R. Levin explores the psychology, motivations, and history of the utopian movement, and how the individual and American society are being allured and destroyed by it. Levin draws relevant parallels to contemporary America from Plato’s Republic, Thomas More’s Utopia, Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, as well as from the critical works of John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville, who brilliantly diagnosed the nature of man and government. Levin’s message is that the American republic is in great peril. The people must now choose between utopianism or liberty. President Ronald Reagan warned, “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Levin agrees, and delivers a modern political classic, published in 2012.
America: Turning a Nation to God by Tony Evans, an American Christian pastor, speaker, and author, states that at the core, America’s moral, cultural, economic, and political problems are spiritual, and that God is America’s only hope. The book is a call for America’s Christians to return to God in humility and repentance, and by doing so, realize that hope, which would usher in the greatest revival in American history. The book was published in 2015.
Rediscovering Americanism: And the Tyranny of Progressivism by legal scholar Mark R. Levin revisits the Founders’ warnings about the perils of overreach by the federal government. He reasons that an understanding and restoration of the essential truths on which America was founded can “serve as the antidote to tyrannical regimes and governments.” The book was published in 2017.
The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism’s Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration by Paul Kengor, professor of political science at Grove City College, is a close, careful look at the diabolical side of Karl Marx and his fascination with the devil. The horrific results of Marxism follow directly from Marx’s devilish ideas. Ultimately the fight comes down to spiritual warfare: good versus evil. Communists read Marx, anti-communists understand Marx. The book was published in 2020.
American Marxism by legal scholar Mark R. Levin explains how the core elements of Marxist ideology are now ubiquitous in American society and culture. He describes the psychology and tactics of American Marxism, and presents ideas on how to defend liberty. The book was published in 2021.
Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas--Not Less by energy expert Alex Epstein explains that claims of imminent climate catastrophe and renewable energy dominance are based on the “anti-impact framework” – a set of faulty methods, false assumptions, and anti-human values that have caused the media’s designated experts to make wildly wrong predictions about fossil fuels, climate, and renewables for the last 50 years. Epstein uses the latest evidence to show that the path to global “human flourishing” is a combination of using more fossil fuels and establishing “energy freedom” policies. The book is deeply researched and wide-ranging, and was published in 2022.
- the book has contemporary significance; that is, it has relevance to the problems and issues of our times;
- the book is inexhaustible; it can be read again and again with benefit; and
- the book is relevant to a large number of the great ideas and great issues that have occupied the minds of thinking individuals for the last 25 centuries.
The selection of 66 Great Books below draws from Great Books lists by Mortimer J. Adler, Classical Christian Education Support Loop, and Laissez Faire, which contain additional books. Readers may enjoy meeting the minds of those who have contributed to Western Civilization. For a book that is available online, a link to the text of the book is provided. The earliest books are listed first below.
Great Books
Old Testament is the first part of Christian Bibles, based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh), a collection of ancient religious writings by the Israelites believed by most Christians and religious Jews to be the sacred Word of God. The text is available online.
Republic is a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is Plato’s best-known work, and has proven to be one of the world’s most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually and historically. The text is available online.
Politics is a work of political philosophy by Aristotle, a 4th-century BC Greek philosopher. He describes the happy life intended for man by nature as one lived in accordance with virtue, and describes the role that politics and the political community must play in bringing about the virtuous life in the citizenry. The book provides an analysis of the kinds of political community that existed in his time. The book shows that citizens must actively participate in politics if they are to be happy and virtuous, and presents an analysis of what causes and prevents revolution within political communities. The text is available online.
The Political Works of Marcus Tullius Cicero, vol. 1 (Treatise on the Commonwealth) by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero was a Roman politician and lawyer, who served as consul in 63 BC, and is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. His influence on the Latin language and the subsequent history of prose is immense. The Treatise on the Commonwealth explains Roman constitutional theory. He makes a connection between moral government and individual moral virtue. The text is available online.
New Testament is the second part of Christian Bibles, written at the end of the first century AD. The New Testament is a collection of writings that discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christianity. Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as the sacred Word of God. The text is available online.
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans by Plutarch, a Greek and Roman biographer and essayist, is a series of biographies of famous men, arranged in tandem to illustrate their common moral virtues or failings, written at the beginning of the second century AD. The book comprises 23 pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one Greek and one Roman, as well as four unpaired, single lives. It is a work of considerable importance, not only as a source of information about the individuals described, but also about the times in which they lived. The text is available online.
City of God is a book of Christian philosophy written by Augustine of Hippo, a Christian theologian and philosopher, in the early 5th century AD. The book was written in response to allegations that Christianity brought about the decline of Rome, and is considered one of Augustine’s most important works. It presents the importance of virtue for the advancement of a society. The text is available online.
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to “justify the ways of God to men.” The text is available online.
Pensées (Thoughts) is a Christian apologetics book by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, moralist, and theologian, that quickly became a classic, published in 1670. Pascal presents several philosophical paradoxes: infinite and nothingness, faith and reason, soul and matter, death and life, meaning and vanity, requiring humility and grace. The text is available online.
The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan, an English writer and preacher, in 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature. The text is available online.
The Two Treatises of Civil Government by John Locke, an English philosopher and physician, is his most famous work of political philosophy, published in 1689. The book is a defense of natural rights, especially property rights, and of government limited to protecting those rights. The text is available online.
A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke, an English philosopher and physician, was originally published in 1689. He states that government is instituted to promote external interests, relating to life, liberty, and the general welfare, while the church exists to promote internal interests, i.e., salvation. The two serve separate functions, and so, must be considered to be separate institutions. The text is available online.
Complete Works, vol. 1, The Spirit of Laws by Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, a French lawyer and political philosopher, is Montesquieu’s best known work, in which he reflects on the influence of climate on society, the separation of political powers, and the need for checks on a powerful executive office. The book was published in 1748. The text is available online.
Commentaries on the Laws of England is an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, an English jurist and politician, published in 1765–1769. The work is divided into four volumes, on the rights of persons, the rights of things, of private wrongs, and of public wrongs. The Commentaries were long regarded as the leading work on the development of English law, and played a role in the development of the American legal system. The text is available online.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is the greatest work of Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith, published in 1776. The book offers one of the world’s first collected descriptions of what builds a nation’s wealth, and is today a fundamental work in classical economics. By reflecting upon the economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the book touches upon broad topics, such as the division of labor, productivity, and free markets. The text is available online.
Poor Richard’s Almanack (sometimes Almanac) was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, an American statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat, who adopted the pseudonym of “Poor Richard” or “Richard Saunders” for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. It sold exceptionally well for a pamphlet published in the American colonies, and Franklin achieved success. The Almanack is a repository of Franklin’s aphorisms and proverbs, many of which live on in American English. These maxims typically counsel thrift, industry, and courtesy, such as in The Way to Wealth, published in 1757, which was popular in both America and England. The text is available online.
United States Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress, meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. The text is available online.
The Federalist is a collection of 85 articles and essays written under the pseudonym “Publius” by American Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. A two-volume compilation was published in 1788 as The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. The collection was commonly known as The Federalist until the name The Federalist Papers emerged in the 20th century. The text is available online.
The Complete Anti-Federalist is a seven-volume collection of the Anti-Federalist Papers compiled by Herbert Storing of the University of Chicago. Storing’s commentary points out that many “Anti-Federalists” actually considered themselves Federalists in the sense that a federation is a structure over sovereign states. The Anti-Federalists demanded and received a promise of a Bill of Rights, so that Ratification of the 1787 Constitution could occur. These writings are their unabridged arguments against a strong central government. The text by Morton Borden is available online.
United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. The Constitution was ratified in 1789, and has been amended 27 times. The text is available online.
Reflections on the Revolution in France is a political pamphlet written by the British statesman Edmund Burke, and published in 1790. Reflections is one of the best-known intellectual attacks against the French Revolution, and is a defining classic text of the political philosophy of conservatism. The text is available online.
A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity was written in 1797 by William Wilberforce, British Member of Parliament who brought about the abolition of the British slave trade. In the book, Wilberforce distinguishes between “nominal Christians” – who merely follow the traditions and motions of Christianity – and “true practical Christians” – who actively seek to behave and lead life in a Christian manner. The text is available online.
Democracy in America is a classic French text by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, political scientist, and historian, published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840. In the book, Tocqueville examines the democratic revolution over the previous several hundred years. The primary focus of the book is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in other places. For his book, Tocqueville collected information on American society, including its religious, political, and economic character. The text is available online.
The Law by Frédéric Bastiat, a French economist and statesman, explained how socialism must inevitably degenerate into communism. The same situation exists in America today as did in France of 1848. The same socialist-communist ideas and plans that were then adopted in France are now sweeping America. The explanations and arguments then advanced against socialism by the book are equally valid today. The book was published in 1850. The text is available online.
Speeches & letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865 is the complete works of Abraham Lincoln, an American statesman and lawyer, who served as the 16th President of the United States. The text is available online.
The Old Regime and the Revolution by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, political scientist, and historian, analyzes the French Revolution. The book, published in 1866, states that even though the French tried to dissociate themselves from the past and from the autocratic old regime, they eventually reverted to a powerful central government, in essence, a continuation of the royalist bureaucracy. The text is available online.
Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis by Ludwig von Mises, an Austrian-American economist, is the definitive, intellectual refutation of socialism, published in 1922. Mises presents a wide-ranging analysis of society, comparing the results of socialist planning with those of free-market capitalism. Economist Friedrich Hayek’s foreword comments on the continuing relevance of this great work: “Most readers today will find that Socialism has more immediate application to contemporary events than it had when it first appeared.” Mises identified the reasons why socialism would impoverish millions. Mises was vindicated by the collapse of the Soviet Union. The text is available online.
The Everlasting Man is a Christian apologetics book written by G. K. Chesterton, an English author, poet, philosopher, and literary and art critic, published in 1925. The book illustrates the spiritual journey of Western civilization. The text is available online.
A Study of History is a 12-volume universal history by the British historian Arnold J. Toynbee, published in 1934–61. Toynbee’s goal was to trace the development and decay of 19 world civilizations in the historical record, applying his model to each of these civilizations, detailing the stages through which they all pass: genesis, growth, time of troubles, universal state, and disintegration. The text is available online.
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis, a British novelist, poet, and professor at both Oxford University and Cambridge University, shows the abiding presence of human ideals cross-culturally in what he calls the Tao, arguing that its existence illustrates a Universal Natural Law to which all men must yield. The book was published in 1943. The text is available online.
The Road to Serfdom by Nobel Laureate economist Friedrich A. von Hayek showed that political liberty was impossible without economic liberty. The book explains how socialist government must use increasing amounts of coercion, and contains his famous chapter about why the worst in socialist governments rise to the top. The book was published in 1944. The text is available online.
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella and satirical tale by George Orwell, an English novelist, essayist, and critic, published in 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, he believed, had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality, and enforced by a reign of terror. The text is available online.
Economics in One Lesson is American journalist Henry Hazlitt’s best introductory case for economic liberty, which he wrote while working for the New York Times, and published in 1946. He rebuts the most destructive economic fallacies persisting to this day. The text is available online.
Communism and the Conscience of the West by Fulton J. Sheen, American Roman Catholic archbishop, provides some of the most sophisticated dissections of communism ever written. The book describes the dangers of communism generally, and its danger to the family and marriage in particular. The book displays Sheen’s exceptionally brilliant, philosophical mind and arguments. The book was published in 1948. Sheen was utterly prophetic.
Human Action by Austrian-American economist Ludwig von Mises presents the most comprehensive case for economic liberty ever written, and exposes the errors of every type of government intervention. The book was published in 1949. The text is available online.
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by American social philosopher Eric Hoffer, published in 1951, is essential for understanding the world today. The book gives concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement. The book presents ideas about the psychology of people that awaken or join mass movements. Hoffer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983. The text is available online.
Witness by Whittaker Chambers, American writer and editor, recounts the Alger Hiss trial as well as Chambers’ own experiences as a Communist agent in the United States, his later renunciation of communism, and his conversion to Christianity. Chambers’ worldview – “man without mysticism is a monster” – helped to make political conservatism a national force. The book was published in 1952.
The Opium of the Intellectuals by Raymond Aron, a French sociologist and political scientist, explains that in post-WW2 France, Marxism was the opium of the intellectuals. The title inverts Karl Marx’s claim that religion was the opium of the people. The book chastises French intellectuals for their harsh criticism of capitalism and democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and intolerance. The book was published in 1955. The text is available online.
Masters of Deceit by J. Edgar Hoover, then-Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, explains communism: what it is, how it works, what its aims are, why people become communists, strategy and tactics, methods of mass agitation and infiltration, the real dangers it poses, and what one can do now to combat the evils of the “false religion” of communism, so that one can stay free. The book was published in 1958. The text is available online.
The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen, former professor and FBI Special Agent, distills more than 100 books about communism, into one comprehensive, clarifying, and readable volume. Lauded as “the most powerful book on communism since J. Edgar Hoover’s Masters of Deceit,” it presents communism’s appeal, history, basic and unchanging concepts, and what one can do to stop communism. The book was published in 1958. The 2017 edition details how 44 of the 45 Communist Goals have already been achieved in the U.S. The text is available online.
Death in the City is a prescient book by Francis A. Schaeffer, an American theologian and philosopher. The book describes the death of Western culture, which is the outcome of turning away from God and the biblical truth upon which Western Civilization was built. This death of Western culture is the basis for many Western leaders permitting the destruction of their societies. The book presents a redemptive solution that God provides. The book, published in 1969, builds on his books The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, He Is There and He Is Not Silent, and his wife, author and co-founder of L’Abri, Edith Schaeffer’s book L’Abri.
For a New Liberty, The Libertarian Manifesto by Murray Rothbard, an American economist, philosopher, political theorist, and historian, promotes the view that life would be better without government interference. The book, published in 1973, explains how private individuals, working through free markets, can do just about everything that needs to be done. The text is available online.
The Machinery of Freedom, A Guide to a Radical Capitalism is a collection of essays by economist David D. Friedman, son of Milton and Rose Friedman, published in 1973. The book abounds with keen insights, and makes a case for free market medicine and free market environmental protection. The text is available online.
Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick, an American philosopher at Harvard University, was published in 1974. The book decisively refuted the egalitarian doctrine of distributive justice (basically, what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine). The book proceeds, step by step, to demolish the rationale for the welfare state. The text is available online.
Marx and Satan by Richard Wurmbrand, Romanian pastor, documents that Karl Marx and the fathers of the modern Communist/Socialist movements were inspired by the “prince of darkness,” who gave these men the “sword” by which they have terrorized the nations. Wurmbrand proves that this movement is “after the working of Satan” with the intent of destroying mankind. Wurmbrand reveals the true root of Marxist thinking so that people will recognize the evil, and stand against it. The book was published in 1976. The text is available online.
How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture is a brilliant book by Francis A. Schaeffer, an American theologian and philosopher. The book is an analysis of the key moments in history, which have formed Western culture, and the thinking of the people who brought those moments to pass. The books sheds light on the reasons for the decline of Western culture and for the rise of a ruling elite that permits the destruction of their societies, and explains the only viable alternative: a commitment to the truth of God's revelation in the Bible. The book was published in 1976. A deeply insightful and relevant film series of How Should We Then Live? also is available on DVD.
Free to Choose is a compelling case for economic liberty by Milton and Rose Friedman. The book, published in 1980, is adapted from the acclaimed TV documentary. Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman and his wife, free-market economist Rose Friedman make clear that those who give up liberty in the hopes of gaining security, end up losing both. Videos of the marvelous Free to Choose documentary are also available. The text is available online.
Knowledge and Decisions is the book that Thomas Sowell, an American economist, author, social theorist, and political philosopher, has said he considers his most important work, published in 1980. Building on insights from economist Friedrich Hayek, he explains that a successful society requires all kinds of knowledge, which, dispersed in the minds of millions, cannot be centralized. That is why governments tend to make bad decisions. The book is a profound critique of government intervention. Sowell is the most prolific author on liberty.
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman, an American scholar, media theorist, and cultural critic, states that civilization won’t fall to revolutionaries or communist regimes, but rather to entertainment, in a form of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. He traces America’s progression from a thinking man’s experiment in self-government, to an overindulged man’s circus, and demonstrates that today’s man has traded thought for amusement. This sobering look at society’s descent into socialism sounds a provocative alarm and calls the sober minded to the wakeful life that the liberal arts inspire. The book was published in 1985. The text is available online.
How the West Grew Rich, the Economic Transformation of the Industrialized World by American economists Nathan Rosenberg and L.E. Birdzell explains how the West achieved phenomenal prosperity much sooner than other regions of the world – some of which remain mired in poverty. The book, published in 1986, shows how material success was a byproduct of the struggle for liberty.
Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by American sociologist and scholar James Davison Hunter explains how the American “culture war” is about allegiances to different sources of moral authority. The divide is created by competing tendencies toward orthodoxy or progressivism, and efforts by these two polarized camps to define America and establish preeminence. The orthodox camp is committed to an “external, definable, and transcendent authority,” whereas the progressive camp defines moral authority “by the spirit of the modern age, a spirit of rationalism and subjectivism.” The book was published in 1991. The text is available online.
The Market Economy: A Reader edited by American economists James L. Doti and Dwight R. Lee, gathers together the very best writing about the philosophical underpinnings of economic liberty. The 44 selections include: F.A. Hayek (The Creative Powers of a Free Civilization), Milton Friedman (Social Responsibility of Business and Labor), and R.H. Coase (The Problem of Social Cost, the most widely-cited article in the entire economics literature). The book was published in 1991.
Simple Rules for a Complex World by Richard A. Epstein, an American scholar, lawyer, and author, presents a sophisticated case for scrapping most laws and regulations. The book was published in 1995.
The Ultimate Resource 2 by Julian L. Simon, an American professor of economics and business administration, presents how the ultimate resource is human ingenuity that makes other resources more plentiful. People innovate their way out of scarcity through greater efficiency, increased supply, or development of substitutes, leading to an improving world of growing population, increasing wealth, increasing food, and falling commodity prices. Human intellect can best be transformed into beneficial goods and services in an atmosphere of economic freedom and security. The book was published in 1996. The text is available online.
Principles for a Free Society, Reconciling Individual Liberty with the Common Good by Richard A. Epstein, an American scholar, lawyer, and author, tells why government efforts to remedy alleged market failures make people worse off. The book was published in 1998.
The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression by European scholars Stéphane Courtois, Andrzej Paczkowski, Nicolas Werth, Karel Bartosek, Ehrhart Neubert, and Jean-Louis Margolin documents the accomplishments of Communism around the world: terror, torture, famine, mass deportations, and massacres. The book comprehensively catalogues and analyzes the crimes of Communism against humanity and cultures over seventy years. The authors systematically show how and why, wherever the ideology of Communism was established, it quickly led to crime, terror, and repression, and to the deaths of 100 million people. The book was published in 1999. The text is available online.
More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well by Walter Williams, an American economist, commentator, and scholar, covers a solid round-up on issues of the day, such as race, sex, taxes, gun rights, government schools, Social Security – just about all the things people are debating today. He does it with wit and style. The book was published in 1999.
Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by legal scholar Mark R. Levin provides a philosophical, historical, and practical framework for revitalizing the conservative vision and ensuring the preservation of American society, in the face of the modern liberal assault on Constitution-based values. The book was published in 2009.
The Ruling Class: How They Corrupted America and What We Can Do About It is a profound and incisive book by Angelo M. Codevilla, professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University, published in 2010. The book presents the Ruling Class, the bipartisan political elites who run America. The Ruling Class does not represent the interests of the majority of Americans, who value self-rule and the freedom on which America was founded. The majority of Americans believe that the Ruling Class is demeaning, impoverishing, and demoralizing America, and are now reasserting their right to follow the Constitution, not the Ruling Class.
Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover’s Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath by historian George H. Nash is the culmination of an extraordinary literary project that Herbert Hoover launched during World War II, his “magnum opus,” published in 2011. The book focuses on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s foreign policies and the war’s consequences: the expansion of the Soviet empire at war’s end and the eruption of the Cold War against the Communists.
Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by legal scholar Mark R. Levin explores the psychology, motivations, and history of the utopian movement, and how the individual and American society are being allured and destroyed by it. Levin draws relevant parallels to contemporary America from Plato’s Republic, Thomas More’s Utopia, Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, as well as from the critical works of John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville, who brilliantly diagnosed the nature of man and government. Levin’s message is that the American republic is in great peril. The people must now choose between utopianism or liberty. President Ronald Reagan warned, “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Levin agrees, and delivers a modern political classic, published in 2012.
America: Turning a Nation to God by Tony Evans, an American Christian pastor, speaker, and author, states that at the core, America’s moral, cultural, economic, and political problems are spiritual, and that God is America’s only hope. The book is a call for America’s Christians to return to God in humility and repentance, and by doing so, realize that hope, which would usher in the greatest revival in American history. The book was published in 2015.
Rediscovering Americanism: And the Tyranny of Progressivism by legal scholar Mark R. Levin revisits the Founders’ warnings about the perils of overreach by the federal government. He reasons that an understanding and restoration of the essential truths on which America was founded can “serve as the antidote to tyrannical regimes and governments.” The book was published in 2017.
The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism’s Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration by Paul Kengor, professor of political science at Grove City College, is a close, careful look at the diabolical side of Karl Marx and his fascination with the devil. The horrific results of Marxism follow directly from Marx’s devilish ideas. Ultimately the fight comes down to spiritual warfare: good versus evil. Communists read Marx, anti-communists understand Marx. The book was published in 2020.
American Marxism by legal scholar Mark R. Levin explains how the core elements of Marxist ideology are now ubiquitous in American society and culture. He describes the psychology and tactics of American Marxism, and presents ideas on how to defend liberty. The book was published in 2021.
Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas--Not Less by energy expert Alex Epstein explains that claims of imminent climate catastrophe and renewable energy dominance are based on the “anti-impact framework” – a set of faulty methods, false assumptions, and anti-human values that have caused the media’s designated experts to make wildly wrong predictions about fossil fuels, climate, and renewables for the last 50 years. Epstein uses the latest evidence to show that the path to global “human flourishing” is a combination of using more fossil fuels and establishing “energy freedom” policies. The book is deeply researched and wide-ranging, and was published in 2022.