3 Most Popular ISI Books Right Now

This is the fun part of my job.

As the editor of ISI Books, I get to work with incredible authors on important books. And there’s nothing more exciting than seeing readers take home the titles we publish.

That’s why it’s so much fun to watch what’s happening with this month’s $3 book sale.

Your response has been overwhelming. I’ve watched thousands of books fly out the door in a matter of days. I was thrilled to see the excitement of @rvannest, who tweeted, “My books from the @ISI $3 sale came in!” The tweet included a photo of his haul: 6 books! I thought that was a lot—until I noticed that every buyer has purchased an average of 6 books during the $3 sale.

You can choose from among more than 60 books available for $3 each. But if you’re anything like me, that many choices can be overwhelming.

3 Most Popular ISI Books 

So where do you start? One way is to embrace the wisdom of crowds: it turns out the 3 most popular titles are acclaimed books that help us understand our past, present, and future. They are:

1. American Cicero: You may know of Bradley J. Birzer: professor at Hillsdale College, scholar-in-residence at The American Conservative, cofounder of The Imaginative Conservative. Brad is also, as author Joseph Pearce says, “one of today’s finest biographers.” You don’t want to miss this exceptional short biography of an unjustly neglected Founder, Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Founders such as John Adams assumed that Carroll—the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence—would one day be considered among the greats. This book shows you why—and also why history has largely forgotten Carroll.

2. After Tocqueville: “The best book on democracy in the past hundred years.” Sounds pretty good, right? That’s how the historian John Willson characterizes this piercing, elegantly written book by Chronicles editor Chilton Williamson. Alexis de Tocqueville said the future belonged to democracy. Williamson challenges this sunny notion. You’ll come away with a much different perspective on the future of democracy.

3. Papal Economics: The Catholic Church: one of the most important but least understood authorities on capitalism and democracy. This book takes you on an enlightening tour through papal teachings on economics from Leo XIII in the nineteenth century to Pope Francis today. You’ll hear partisan groups variously proclaiming Catholic social teaching to be left-wing or right-wing, pro-socialist or pro-capitalist or even pro–“third way.” Papal Economics corrects the record. That’s why the late Michael Novak called it “the definitive work on the economic teaching of the modern popes.”

​So there you have it: 3 great books, only $3 each. I encourage you to browse the complete list of 60+ titles, which includes other favorites like Conservative Heroes, Rodney Stark’s The Triumph of Faith, and the always popular Student Guides to the Major Disciplines. You’re bound to find good options for yourself or friends and family.

But a reminder: this $3 sale lasts only until July 31. Stock up now.

Happy reading!

Jed Donahue is editor in chief of ISI Books.