The Conservative Mind explores the development of conservative thought from Edmund Burke to T.S. Eliot. Published shortly after World War II, Kirk’s magnum opus had a major influence on post-war conservatism and contributed to a renewed interest in Burke’s thinking.
Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind is one of the greatest contributions to twentieth-century American conservatism. Brilliant in every respect, from its conception to its choice of significant figures representing the history of intellectual conservatism, The Conservative Mind launched the modern American Conservative Movement when it was first published in 1953 and has become an enduring classic of political thought.
“I have been one of your fans since the time many years ago when I read The Conservative Mind.” —Former President Richard M. Nixon
“Kirk is assured a place of prominence in the intellectual histories for helping to define the ethical basis of conservatism. He has tried to pull conservatism away from the utilitarian premises of libertarianism, toward which conservatism often veers, toward a philosophy rooted in ethics and culture.”—The Wall Street Journal
