For those unfamiliar with conservatism or for those already committed to its principles, this "briefing book" is a vital reference to the conservative point of view on today's most hotly debated issues. Whether you are a conservative gearing up for the next election and want the right ammunition, or are undecided and want to know where conservatives stand on the key questions of our time, Good Order is the right book to discover the Right's best ideas. This sampler of conservatism trundles out the big guns: Allan Bloom, George Will, Charles Murray, and, from an earlier era, G. K. Chesterton. Editor Miner, lately of the National Review , mined a dozen minds in all and prefaces the anthology with a self-assured pitch that conservatism has been gaining on contemporary American liberalism in the race for "truth." Popular opinion, if revealed by talk shows and best-sellers, currently trends toward the Right; and some of these writers alight upon the issues swept along in that current: Will on term limitations, Carol Iannone on the Hill/Thomas explosion, Murray on welfare, Thomas Sowell on multicultural education, James Wilson on street crime, and Bloom on sex. Beyond these issues with which most people are familiar, Miner selects more abstract pieces that explicate conservative tenets like the belief in absolute, supracultural values or in a limber, minimally regulated economy. All the authors are sharp, used to intellectual fencing without masks or body armor, and give no quarter to their opponents' views. Those cheering on the conservative side in the various combats will certainly check out this collection from their local library. Gilbert Taylor For those unfamiliar with conservatism or for those already committed to its principles, this "briefing book" is a vital reference to the conservative point of view on today's most hotly debated issues. From Charles Murray on the power of community, to Richard John Neuhaus on the role of religion, to James Q. Wilson and George Kelling on urban crime, to Thomas Sowell on the implications of multiculturalism, Good Order sets the agenda for today's conservative. In the variety of its contributors and the scope of its subject matter, this collection provides a fascinating overview of the broad - and surprising - range of ideas that constitute the conservative movement as we move into the next century. Whether you are a conservative gearing up for the next election and want the right ammunition, or are undecided and want to know where conservatives stand on the key questions of our time, Good Order is the right book to discover the Right's best ideas. Brad Miner is Senior Editor of The Catholic Thing and was the founding editor of American Compass.