Watchers at the Strait Gate is a collection of stories by author Russell Kirk. It was released in 1984 and was the author's second book published by Arkham House, and Kirk's third collection of supernatural stories. It was published in an edition of 3,459 copies.Russell Kirk (October 19, 1918 April 29, 1994) was an American political theorist, moralist, historian, social critic, literary critic, and fiction author known for his influence on 20th century American conservatism. His 1953 book, The Conservative Mind, gave shape to the amorphous post World War II conservative movement. It traced the development of conservative thought in the Anglo-American tradition, giving special importance to the ideas of Edmund Burke. Kirk was also considered the chief proponent of traditionalist conservatism.