O livro A Mentalidade Conservadora, de Russell Kirk, é uma das maiores contribuições intelectuais ao conservadorismo no século XX, sendo considerado um clássico duradouro do pensamento político. É uma obra brilhante em todos os aspectos, desde sua concepção até a escolha das figuras mais significativas que representam a evolução histórica do conservadorismo. De Edmund Burke a T. S. Eliot, passando por outros importantes representantes dessa corrente doutrinária, é traçada uma análise que abrange quase dois séculos de tradição intelectual. A importância deste trabalho não se limita ao campo teórico, visto que lançou as bases do moderno movimento conservador nos Estados Unidos. Além de manter o prefácio do editor norte-americano Henry Regnery, a luxuosa edição – com capa dura revestida em tecido –, inclui um estudo introdutório e um posfácio escritos por Alex Catharino.

Kirk's collection of essays is justly regarded as a touchstone of modern conservative thought. The authors, poets and political thinkers he has selected range from the well known to many who are forgotten today – including some less-than-obvious 'conservatives'. I was particularly intrigued by the American thinkers who, to me, are less familiar than their British and Irish counterparts. The Conservative Mind is one of those books that generates a long reading list, and thankfully many of the works it cites are available as public domain editions online. One caveat to the contemporary reader: although the current edition was 'revised' in the 1980s, the changes are very slight, and most of the analysis ends with the 1950s (this is not a complaint, simply an observation). ( )

The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk is arguably 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 by Russell Kirk launched the modern American Conservative Movement. A must-read.

''[It] is inconceivable even to imagine, let alone hope for, a dominant conservative movement in America without [Kirk's] labor.'' --William F. Buckley, Jr.

''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 liberalism, toward which conservatism often veers, toward a philosophy rooted in ethics and culture.'' --Wall Street Journal

About the Author
RUSSELL KIRK (1918-1994), historian of ideas, critic, essayist, editor, and novelist, was the author of thirty-two books. Among them are The Roots of American Order, The Politics of Prudence, Enemies of the Permanent Things, and six works of fiction. He received twelve honorary doctorates from American universities and many awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal.

Great book helped spark interest in the conservative movement in America. ( )

The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot by Russell Kirk (2001)