"The New Criterion operates as a refuge for a civilizing element in short supply in contemporary America: honest criticism."—Wall Street Journal.

Since its founding in 1982 by the art critic Hilton Kramer and the pianist and music critic Samuel Lipman, The New Criterion has waged a brisk and articulate campaign against facile and often politically motivated assaults on art and greatness. It has brought unparalleled verve, clarity, and wit to the vocation of criticism. But The New Criterion is not only America's foremost voice of critical dissent in culture and the arts; it is also an energetic ally in the battle against cultural and intellectual amnesia. At a moment when many institutions have become willing collaborators in despoiling our intellectual and artistic legacy, The New Criterion has been a standard-bearer for literary and cultural excellence. Drawn from twenty-five years of the magazine, this abundant collection contains a generous sampling of the very best writing from The New Criterion, featuring the judgments of our generation's most astute and entertaining observers. The many contributors include Brooke Allen, Stefan Beck, James Bowman, Anthony Daniels, Guy Davenport, John Derbyshire, Ben Downing, Paul Dean, Daniel Mark Epstein, Joseph Epstein, John Gross, Laura Jacobs, William Logan, Harvey Mansfield, Kenneth Minogue, Jay Nordlinger, Eric Ormsby, Cynthia Ozick, David Pryce-Jones, Mordecai Richler, Roger Scruton, John Simon, Mark Steyn, and David Yezzi.