by Walter Karp, Franklin Square Press, 327 pages

For many years before his sudden death in 1989, Walter Karp was both a good friend and a valued contributor to this magazine. In the latter capacity he was the author of a delightful series on unusual American museums and how they reflect the personalities of their founders. But Walter always felt his true vocation was the defense of the best traditions of the American Republic, which he conducted tirelessly in innumerable articles and several books. The first of these books, Indispensable Enemies , has just been issued in paperback. In it the author calls with Jeffersonian passion for the reestablishment of liberties he sees as having been eroded by a long history of collusion between the two parties, determined to preserve the status quo. It’s controversial stuff, but few readers will be unmoved by the valor of Walter’s convictions, the powerful historical scrutiny to which he subjects them, and the clarity with which he makes his case.