Russell Kirk (1918-1994), historian of ideas, critic, essayist, editor and novelist, was the author of thirty-two books. Among them are The Conservative Mind , The Roots of American Order , America's British Culture , The Politics of Prudence , Eliot and His Age , Enemies of the Permanent Things , Edmund Burke , Redeeming the Time , John Randolph of Roanoke , and six works of fiction. His memoirs, The Sword of Imagination , were published posthumously. He received twelve honorary doctorates from American universities and many awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal. The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, founded in 1995 and based in Mecosta, Michigan, continues his work to defend "the permanent things" today. Michael P. Federici is professor of political science and international relations at Middle Tennessee State University. He previously served on the faculty at Mercyhurst University.

He received his Ph.D. in Politics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and his B.S. in Economics from Elizabethtown College. Federici has written or edited several books, including The Challenge of Populism , Eric Voegelin: The Restoration of Order , The Political Philosophy of Alexander Hamilton , Rethinking the Teaching of American History , and The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics .