The dense-but-very-worthwhile thoughts of Carl Schmitt, preeminent political philosopher, on democracy, parliamentarianism, liberalism, and much more, all with notable application for us today. The written version of this review can be found here: https://theworthyhouse.com/2021/06/22/the-crisis-of-parliamentary-democracy-carl-schmitt/ We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site: https://www.theworthyhouse.com and to subscribe for email notifications of new posts. The Worthy House does not solicit donations or other support, or have ads. You can subscribe for email notifications here: https://theworthyhouse.com/subscribe-by-email This and all Worthy House narrations are offered with accurate closed captions (not auto-generated). "Ah, Carl Schmitt, Carl Schmitt! No man like him exists today. Political philosophy in our time is, and for many decades past has been, largely the domain of intellectual pygmies and outright morons; the age of gold has degenerated into the age of brass, or of plastic with yellow paint. Schmitt is dead, but his work is not, and this, one of his series of books published during the early Weimar period in Germany, illuminates much of our own present condition. That’s not to say The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy is an easy read. Like much of Schmitt’s writing, it is somewhat elliptical, alternating great insight with moments of “where are we going with this?” But the payoff is worth the effort." . . .

This book, winner of the 2012 Bancroft Prize, offers some interesting ideas about ideas, but is primarily interesting for what it misses. (The written version of this review was first published January 12, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, [are available here](https://theworthyhouse.com/2018/01/12/book-review-age-of-fracturedaniel-t-rodgers/).)

Reviewed, with thoughts, Michael Anton's excellent set of "Flight 93" essays. He pulls his punches a bit, I think, but a more concise explanation of our current problems would be hard to find. (The written version of this review was first published April 7, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, [are available here](https://theworthyhouse.com/2019/04/07/book-review-after-the-flight-93-election-the-vote-that-saved-america-and-what-we-still-have-to-lose-michael-anton//).)

From 2018, through the lens of a classic work of applied politics, thoughts on coups (which have not happened, nor did I predict them), and on social media's role in enforcing global rule of the Left (which I did predict, and which has most definitely happened). The written version of this review was first published August 27, 2018. Written versions are available here: https://theworthyhouse.com/2018/08/27/book-review-coup-detat-practical-handbook-edward-luttwak/ We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site: https://www.theworthyhouse.com and to subscribe for email notifications of new posts. The Worthy House does not solicit donations or other support, or have ads. You can subscribe for email notifications here: https://theworthyhouse.com/subscribe-by-email This and all Worthy House narrations are offered with accurate closed captions (not auto-generated). "Given that zombie survival manuals and similar how-to books are today all the rage, on sale at every Costco, Edward Luttwak’s 'Coup d’État: A Practical Handbook' seems like a selection from the same genre. Namely, of somewhat jokey books that purport to tell you what to do in a strange, disastrous situation, while effectively acknowledging that if you do end up being chased by zombies, hurriedly turning to the index, finding the entry “When Being Pursued,” then scrambling to locate page 102, isn’t probably the best tactic for survival. But instead, this book is the real thing, I think—an actual practical handbook on how to overthrow the state. More precisely, how to overthrow a weak state, a banana republic, though I will give some thought to relevance in the modern American context." . . .