Are you looking for books to give to family members or friends? Or to suggest that they give you? Let me propose any—or all!—of the three collections of Justice Scalia’s writings that I had the privilege of co-editing, all three of which have received outstanding reviews. (I don’t receive royalties on any of the books, by the way, so I am not making a self-interested pitch.)
The first volume, published in 2017, is the New York Times bestselling Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived, a delightful collection of dozens of Justice Scalia’s speeches on topics as varied as the law, faith, virtue, pastimes, and heroes and friends. This volume features a touching foreword by Justice Ginsburg. It should be of general interest to all readers.
The second, published in 2018, is On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer. As the double meaning of the book’s subtitle suggests, On Faith collects Justice Scalia’s thoughts both about religious belief and about the place of religion in American public life. The collection includes speeches, excerpts from some of Justice Scalia’s Supreme Court opinions, and reflections on his faith by his friends, colleagues, law clerks, and family. On Faith also features a beautiful foreword by Justice Thomas, a moving introduction by Fr. Paul Scalia, and Fr. Scalia’s powerful homily at his father’s funeral Mass.
The third, published in 2020, is The Essential Scalia: On the Constitution, the Courts, and the Rule of Law. The volume, which includes a wonderful foreword by Justice Kagan, has been hailed as “an extraordinary collection of Justice Scalia’s legal writings—the best introduction to his legal thought,” “fantastic,” “an education in Americanism, and in the distinct and central place that the law and the Constitution have in the life of our republic,” and “the best one-volume compendium of the Justice’s erudition and wit.” Every lawyer, every law student, and everyone interested in the American legal system should enjoy this book.
There is also a fourth Scalia volume in Hebrew that has been recently published and that consists of excerpts drawn from Scalia Speaks and The Essential Scalia.