Crack a Book

"For a New Liberty is no longer required reading; there's a significant chunk of the younger generation that, however radical they might be, have never cracked a book by Rothbard…."

So said a recent blogger in defense of a movement that seeks to gut libertarianism of its attachment to principle. And if that's your goal, you surely need to do everything possible to keep people from reading this book.

For this book inspires revolutionary thought – and action. It impresses upon the reader the moral and practical urgency of liberty in our time. A person who has read it never sees the problems of human society, politics, and economics the same way.

What the blogger didn't mention is that the book has been out of print for many years, and very difficult to come by – and so its influence might have indeed waned.

Nonetheless, it remained the standard bearer of libertarian thought. This book alone succeeded in fully integrating political philosophy, economics, history, and practical applications. It is shot through with courageous stands on every issue he deals with, even the difficult problems of public goods, war and peace, and inflation and the business cycle.

The good news is that since the Mises Institute published it this year, it has reentered the consciousness of the present generation of students.

Have you read it? Do you know a student who needs exposure to the libertarian way of thinking? It is available exclusively through the Mises Institute, in a handsome hardbound edition, for $27.

July 12, 2006

Copyright © 2006 Ludwig von Mises Institute