Russell Kirk (1918-1994) died 13 years ago this Sunday. As fate would have it, my copy of The Essential Russell Kirk, just published by ISI Press, arrived in the mail yesterday. (It was supposed to come out several months ago but experienced delays.) The 640-page book is an excellent introduction to a great conservative mind. It’s all non-fiction, so the only thing missing are the ghost stories. My own recent tribute to Kirk may be read here (click the “contents” option and then find the article on page 38).