The nationalism reader Book

What a tricky task Best faced, trying to reduce Western political thought to a manageable 135-page subject. She succeeds, and superbly so. Choices must be made for organizing the material, and her choices are useful and illuminating. She distinguishes between Ancient and Modern thought, and she also distinguishes between the main current that flows within both Ancient and Modern thought as well as a cross-current, which is distinguishable from the main current. The book is slim, and so much is unavoidably omitted, but it really is a terrifically thoughtful condensation. (Probably Straussian, or informed by a similar approach to the material, for those who care about such things.)