On Nabokov, Ayn Rand and the Libertarian Mind not only conjoins two seemingly divergent authors but also takes on the larger picture of libertarian trends and ideologies. These timely topics further intermingle with Bell-Villada's own conflicted relationship - personal, cultural, satirical, literary - to the "odd pair" and their ways of thinking. The inclusion of Louis Begley's essay adds yet another dimension to this unique, wide-ranging meditation on art and politics, history and memory.