The decade of the 1930s saw Leo Strauss make his fundamental breakthroughs in the meaning of classical political philosophy and the possibility of its recovery. This collection of essays by distinguished scholars, with newly translated works by Strauss, covers the whole complexity of Strauss's inquiry in this period, in its movement from the critical readings of the early moderns and the dialogue with Carl Schmitt, to the engagement with the medievals and Xenophon. This volume sheds invaluable new light on each of these investigations and on how they are interrelated, so that now one can much better understand how Strauss became Strauss. Richard Velkley, Celia Scott Weatherhead Professor of Philosophy, Tulane University, USA
An exhilarating collection that casts fresh and revealing light on the intellectually decisive decade in which 'Strauss became Strauss.' Indispensable for anyone with a serious interest in Strauss's thought. Susan Meld Shell, Professor of Political Science, Boston College