JAMES HANKINS is Professor of History at Harvard University, where he teaches Western intellectual history, the history of the classical tradition, and the Italian Renaissance. His prize-winning book, Virtue Politics: Soulcraft and Statecraft in Renaissance Italy, was published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University in November 2019.ALLEN C. GUELZO is the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Scholar in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He is the bestselling author, most recently, of Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy and the American Experiment. He is a three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize.

"...The Golden Thread comes as a history, an argument, a treasure hoard. Happy is the student who will have a semester to study this magnificent book. Happy, too, is the general reader who stands, as one on the threshold of the Louvre, preparing to enter the shining galleries that lie ahead." —The Wall Street Journal"The Golden Thread is simply levels above ordinary textbooks. It's a comprehensive history of Western civilization that is less a standard textbook than the mature statement of an especially thoughtful scholar." —National Review "...undoubtedly the book of the year."—Claremont Review of Books "Highly recommend....Historian James Hankins argues that understanding the history of the Western tradition is the only way to preserve civilization."—Coleman Hughes, The Free Press "It is a masterpiece—staggeringly learned and judicious in its handling of Western civilization's glories and failings." —Compact "A magnificent, detailed overview of the evolution of the West from antiquity to the Renaissance."—George Weigel, Denver Catholic"In this book live thousands of years of exquisitely rendered thought, wisdom, sacrifice, beauty and adventure."—The Spectator World"The Golden Thread is an excellent addition to books on Western Civilization that already exist, but also an advancement on what has come before."—Law & Liberty"The Golden Thread is a history of near-run survivals and improbable resurrections. It’s also a noble part of that history, as are its authors. They can count their job well done."—Spencer A. Klavan, Claremont Review of Books "This book is a masterclass of the Western tradition...If [Chinese Westernizers] had sought inspiration from the best of Western political culture as discussed in Hankins' brilliant book...China's history would have taken a different, more desirable turn."—The China Review "Guelzo and Hankins conceive of The Golden Thread as a restoration project, a reminder to their young readers that there is ample reason to feel proud of civilized societies—particularly their own. These two volumes serve as an essential element of civic education within a liberal democracy, by presenting vivid, lively introductions to all the historical and intellectual ingredients of the American foundation and showing examples throughout history of what healthy, orderly societies can accomplish."—Jaspreet Singh Boparai, First Things

JAMES HANKINS is Professor of History at Harvard University, where he teaches Western intellectual history, the history of the classical tradition, and the Italian Renaissance. His prize-winning book, Virtue Politics: Soulcraft and Statecraft in Renaissance Italy, was published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University in November 2019.ALLEN C. GUELZO is the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Scholar in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He is the bestselling author, most recently, of Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy and the American Experiment. He is a three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize.

"...The Golden Thread comes as a history, an argument, a treasure hoard. Happy is the student who will have a semester to study this magnificent book. Happy, too, is the general reader who stands, as one on the threshold of the Louvre, preparing to enter the shining galleries that lie ahead." —The Wall Street Journal"The Golden Thread is simply levels above ordinary textbooks. It's a comprehensive history of Western civilization that is less a standard textbook than the mature statement of an especially thoughtful scholar." —National Review "...undoubtedly the book of the year."—Claremont Review of Books "Highly recommend....Historian James Hankins argues that understanding the history of the Western tradition is the only way to preserve civilization."—Coleman Hughes, The Free Press "It is a masterpiece—staggeringly learned and judicious in its handling of Western civilization's glories and failings." —Compact "A magnificent, detailed overview of the evolution of the West from antiquity to the Renaissance."—George Weigel, Denver Catholic"In this book live thousands of years of exquisitely rendered thought, wisdom, sacrifice, beauty and adventure."—The Spectator World"The Golden Thread is an excellent addition to books on Western Civilization that already exist, but also an advancement on what has come before."—Law & Liberty"The Golden Thread is a history of near-run survivals and improbable resurrections. It’s also a noble part of that history, as are its authors. They can count their job well done."—Spencer A. Klavan, Claremont Review of Books "This book is a masterclass of the Western tradition...If [Chinese Westernizers] had sought inspiration from the best of Western political culture as discussed in Hankins' brilliant book...China's history would have taken a different, more desirable turn."—The China Review "Guelzo and Hankins conceive of The Golden Thread as a restoration project, a reminder to their young readers that there is ample reason to feel proud of civilized societies—particularly their own. These two volumes serve as an essential element of civic education within a liberal democracy, by presenting vivid, lively introductions to all the historical and intellectual ingredients of the American foundation and showing examples throughout history of what healthy, orderly societies can accomplish."—Jaspreet Singh Boparai, First Things

JAMES HANKINS is Professor of History at Harvard University, where he teaches Western intellectual history, the history of the classical tradition, and the Italian Renaissance. His prize-winning book, Virtue Politics: Soulcraft and Statecraft in Renaissance Italy, was published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University in November 2019.ALLEN C. GUELZO is the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Scholar in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He is the bestselling author, most recently, of Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy and the American Experiment. He is a three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize.

"...The Golden Thread comes as a history, an argument, a treasure hoard. Happy is the student who will have a semester to study this magnificent book. Happy, too, is the general reader who stands, as one on the threshold of the Louvre, preparing to enter the shining galleries that lie ahead." —The Wall Street Journal"The Golden Thread is simply levels above ordinary textbooks. It's a comprehensive history of Western civilization that is less a standard textbook than the mature statement of an especially thoughtful scholar." —National Review "...undoubtedly the book of the year."—Claremont Review of Books "Highly recommend....Historian James Hankins argues that understanding the history of the Western tradition is the only way to preserve civilization."—Coleman Hughes, The Free Press "It is a masterpiece—staggeringly learned and judicious in its handling of Western civilization's glories and failings." —Compact "A magnificent, detailed overview of the evolution of the West from antiquity to the Renaissance."—George Weigel, Denver Catholic"In this book live thousands of years of exquisitely rendered thought, wisdom, sacrifice, beauty and adventure."—The Spectator World"The Golden Thread is an excellent addition to books on Western Civilization that already exist, but also an advancement on what has come before."—Law & Liberty"The Golden Thread is a history of near-run survivals and improbable resurrections. It’s also a noble part of that history, as are its authors. They can count their job well done."—Spencer A. Klavan, Claremont Review of Books "This book is a masterclass of the Western tradition...If [Chinese Westernizers] had sought inspiration from the best of Western political culture as discussed in Hankins' brilliant book...China's history would have taken a different, more desirable turn."—The China Review "Guelzo and Hankins conceive of The Golden Thread as a restoration project, a reminder to their young readers that there is ample reason to feel proud of civilized societies—particularly their own. These two volumes serve as an essential element of civic education within a liberal democracy, by presenting vivid, lively introductions to all the historical and intellectual ingredients of the American foundation and showing examples throughout history of what healthy, orderly societies can accomplish."—Jaspreet Singh Boparai, First Things