Jesse Norman wrote in
The Spectator: "There are occasional missteps and the odd mini-rant, but the book is highly engaging, and studded with insights into topics as diverse as international treaties, alienation and the nature of laughter." In
Standpoint,
David Willetts wrote that the book "communicates a distinctive conservative disposition with great charm and formidable learning." Willetts wrote that Scruton: is very good on the importance of autonomous institutions — what I called
civic conservatism. But he is surprisingly uninterested in where this great tradition comes from or how it has changed over time. He appears to regard it as a happy and perhaps rather accidental gift from history. This means that his account of the role of Conservatives is rather passive and incurious. == Translations ==