SOURCE: Caton, Hiram. “Conservative Liberalism.” National Review 21, no. 7 (25 February 1969): 181-82.

In the following review, Caton regards Liberalism, Ancient and Modern as a fitting introduction to Strauss's political philosophy.

Getting acquainted with the thought of Leo Strauss is not especially easy for most readers. For one thing, Strauss presents his thought mainly in the form of commentaries on authors long since dead. This is a double jeopardy, for not only does he thereby disappoint the demand for originality—the real philosopher, we are assured, opens new vistas and brings fresh insights—but in addition his choice of ancient authors must, in the opinion of many, class his work as history of ideas at best, or nostalgic rummaging in archives at worst. Conservatives, who by and large do not simply share these opinions, if only because they are aware that the Bible is an ancient book, are nevertheless frequently ill-prepared...