Those of us who were kicking around in libertarian/anarchist ideas in those early days when (a) most of us knew one another, at least by name even though we might not have met, and (b) all of us could have – in Rothbard’s view – fit within Murray’s New York City apartment, will remember the writings of Jerome Tuccille. His wonderful book, It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand, is a benchmark for anyone interested in understanding the historic foundations of modern libertarianism. He had a skill for combining sincerity with the sense of humor – such as Rothbard had – that helped foster an awareness of the satiric nature of all political systems. He could embrace candidates for political office “who really mean peace when they say peace.” I hope that he found an inner peace before his death on February 16th, at the age of 79.

The Best of Butler Shaffer