Byron and I have been saying, ever since we started thinking through what the unique value prop of Creed & Culture might be, that we would lean heavily into history. It irritated us that much of the re-narration of American (and global) history to have taken place in the last few decades has been tendentious and ideological. And it amazed us that so many great stories have been simply left untold.

We needed both truer history and more history. But saying that—as we have also discovered—is a lot easier than doing it.

Fortunately, there exist writers like Jesse Walker. A longtime editor at Reason, Jesse is just the kind of alternative historian the times demand. Jesse has written fantastic books on the history of American radio and American conspiracy thinking. Now, we are delighted to announce that Creed & Culture will be publishing Jesse’s next book, titled The Anarchist and the Republican: Karl Hess, John McClaughry, and the Search for a New Populism.

Besides offering fascinating portraits of two very interesting men in Hess and Mclaughry, this book will double as a history of decentralist movements and thinking in the postwar decades.
Jesse describes the project this way: The Anarchist and the Republican is an adventure tale about two renegade thinkers as they crisscross the political spectrum, from the far right to the far left, from 1960 to 1980. Despite their divergent paths, the two come together, sharing a belief in a better form of governance, which they see in a new brand of populism that can empower those citizens across the political spectrum who seek a more just and humane future.

Now if that doesn’t pique your interest, I don’t know what will! We’re proud to have Jesse on the Creed & Culture list.

Be sure to check out Jesse’s related article. And be sure to subscribe to our email list to stay informed about this project and many others—and also to get 30% off your purchases at our website.