Books by John Patrick Diggins

Fired by Stanford and the University of Chicago but recommended by his peers to the presidency of the American Economic Association, Thorstein Veblen remains a baffling figure in American intellectual history. This title unravels the riddles that surround his reputation and assesses his varied and important contributions to modern social theory.

For a theologian who died in 1971, Reinhold Niebuhr maintains a remarkably high profile in the twenty-first century. This title begins by working through Niebuhr's theology, which focuses less on God's presence than his absence - and the ways that absence abets the all-too-human sin of pride.

"Informative and useful. . . . A balanced history of leftist American politics in the 20th century. . . . Admirably nonpartisan." -Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

"Richly instructive. . . . With characteristic cogency and verve John Diggins has painted a memorable portrait of the United States at a triumphant moment in its history."-David M. Kennedy, Stanford University