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We are in the process
of re-building our Libertarian Bookstore. Please
check back for more books as we develop the
category pages.
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What
It Means to Be a Libertarian, by Charles
Murray
Charles Murray first got famous for his
book Losing Ground's argument that welfare
programs actually hamper the progress of
poor people. Then he got even more famous
for saying (along with his co-author
Richard Herrnstein) in The Bell Curve that
genetically-based IQ deficits also hamper
their progress. This little book is worth
the read because we get to see what he
thinks the government should really do
about all this: not much. On the plus
side, Murray is a very clear writer. So we
get, for instance, a nicely drawn
discussion of the nature of public goods.
But although this book is offered in the
spirit of the Revolutionary pamphleteers,
when it gets down to cases, Murray comes
across as a man who's lost his common
sense. For example, he claims that if all
businesses were allowed to opt out of the
current government regulatory scheme,
provided that they display prominent signs
saying UNREGULATED, "just about every
small business will want to be
unregulated. ... No more building
inspectors, elevator inspectors, or
restaurant inspectors. Owners of
unregulated small businesses will have to
answer to no one but their customers." He
doesn't seem to notice that those
customers will be running at top speed
away from those clearly marked buildings,
elevators, and restaurants.
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The
Libertarian Reader: Classic and
Contemporary Writings from Lao Tzu to
Milton Friedman, by David
Boaz
The first collection of seminal
writings on a movement that is rapidly
changing the face of American politics,
The Libertarian Reader links some of the
most fertile minds of our time to a
centuries-old commitment to freedom,
self-determination, and opposition to
intrusive government. From John Locke and
Thomas Jefferson to Mary Wollstonecraft,
H. L. Mencken, and Ayn Rand, David Boaz
has gathered writings that represent the
building blocks of libertarianism in a
unique sourcebook that will stand as a
classic reference for years to come.
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Radicals
for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of
the Modern American Libertarian Movement,
by Brian Doherty
Doherty has done an impressive job of
pulling together an interesting,
enlightening, and entertaining history of
the American libertarian movement.
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New
Libertarian Manifesto, by Edward Konkin
Samuel III
New Libertarian Manifesto -- The 25th
Anniversary Edition, by Samuel Edward
Konkin III (1947-2004), brings the
groundbreaking work back into print. First
published in October, 1980, the Manifesto
is the most concise treatise on
Counter-Economics and Agorism available to
the public. Five chapters encompass
Konkin's unique view of libertarianism: I.
Statism: Our Condition; II. Agorism: Our
Goal; III. Counter-Economics: Our Means;
IV. Revolution: Our Strategy; and V.
Action: Our Tactics. The 25th Anniversary
Edition is the fourth printing of the
book, which has been an underground
anarchist classic. Also included in this
edition are critiques of New Libertarian
Manifesto by Murray N. Rothbard, Ph.D.,
Robert LeFevre, and Erwin S. Strauss, and
replies by Samuel Edward Konkin III, which
were published in Strategy of the New
Libertarian Alliance in 1981 and long out
of print until now.
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Libertarianism:
A Primer, by David Boaz
Libertarianism used to be just a topic
at your high school Government Club. But
since all those Ayn Rand-niks are now in
Congress, it's become a bigger deal. This
book is an admirably clear exposition of
the position--defined by David Boaz as
"the view that each person has the right
to live his life in any way he chooses so
long as he respects the equal rights of
others"--which is useful to both adherents
and those who merely want to "know the
enemy." Of course, a lot of questions are
left unanswered: Do I have to obey speed
limits? Is it OK for me to drive on the
left as long as I promise to swerve when I
see you coming? Aren't there a lot of
valuable enterprises that couldn't be
achieved by individual effort alone, but
only with a degree of government
compulsion, including the federal highway
system, public parks, and public
libraries?
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Toward
Liberty: The Idea That Is Changing the
World, by David Boaz
In this collection, scholars and
political leaders make the case for
freedom, free enterprise, and the rule of
law.
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The
Politics of Freedom: Taking on The Left,
The Right and Threats to Our Liberties, by
David Boaz
Is it any wonder that Americans have
become so dissatisfied with government
today? Politicians have given us soaring
federal spending, rampant violations of
our constitutional rights, a futile war in
Iraq, corruption, incompetence, and a
growing nanny state. Now one of the
leading libertarian critics of big
government raises the flag of freedom.
David Boaz takes on both liberals and
conservatives who seek to impose their own
partisan agendas on the whole country. He
discusses the roots of American freedom,
the growing libertarian vote in America,
the arrogance of politicians, and
everything from taxes and education to
terrorism and the war on drugs. For the
millions of Americans who don't fit the
red-blue divide, who are fiscally
conservative and socially liberal, who
reject big-government conservatism and
nanny-state liberalism, this book points
the way to a new politics of freedom.
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