If virtue and “the good” were the paramount political values of antiquity, freedom and equality are undoubtedly those of modernity. Many of the ideological disputes between the great modernist doctrines of liberalism and socialism have concerned how best to understand and realize the two, with some insisting there can be no compromise between clashing conceptions and others thinking there can be. Often these disputes grow so heated and so packed with other high-profile participants (namely, conservatives) that we forget there are other rich political traditions.

Republicanism is one such overlooked school of thought. Anyone who spends time unpacking the Western political canon will find it at various points, whether in the work of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Niccolò Machiavelli or the endless debates about the French Revolution and its volcanic impact. But its specific contributions to political thought, particularly radical politics, have not enjoyed the same attention as liberalism or Marxism.

Radical Republicanism seeks to fill this gap by proving a sweeping primer on the ancient philosophy. Edited by three political theorists (Bruno Leipold, Karma Nabulsi, and Stuart White), it will be an excellent touchstone for years to come. If I have any criticism, it’s that finishing the collection was a bit like wrapping up George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road: yes, we got a lot, but lord did I still want more. And I mean that in the most positive sense.