Rugged Individualism Book Now Available January 1, 2017

Gordon Lloyd’s and my new book, Rugged Individualism:  Dead or Alive?, is now available in both hard copy and  e-reader formats.

It is available at Amazon.com, hooverpress.org and elsewhere.

Here are a few early comments on it:

“Davenport and Lloyd do an exquisite job in reminding us that ‘rugged individualism’ is and was a central feature of American character and civilization. More important, they detail the sustained attack on such individualism that commenced at the end of the nineteenth century, came to the forefront during the New Deal, and threatens to overwhelm us in the present. By focusing on the metaphor of ‘rugged individualism’ they have made a major contribution in the ongoing debate about American national identity.” —Nicholas Capaldi, Legendre-Soule Distinguished Chair of Business Ethics, Loyola University New Orleans

“What is ‘American rugged individualism’? In this short volume the authors not only answer that question but also provide a thumbnail historical sketch of its friends and opponents, a discussion of the ways in which it continues to shape our political debates, and a meditation on its future. Most importantly, they encourage the reader to engage these concerns and to come to their own conclusions on its importance and what its future should be.” —Steven D. Ealy, senior fellow at Liberty Fund, Inc., an Indianapolis-based educational foundation

In Rugged Individualism: Dead Or Alive?, David Davenport and Gordon Lloyd have produced a fascinating and insightful examination of a concept that is an essential part of the history and philosophy of the American spirit. This masterful analysis of a critical component of our national DNA, and the cogent exploration of its current status and future prospects, are most timely in view of our existing cultural confusion and moral ambiguity. —Ed Meese, III, former Attorney General of the United States