Product Description

Gathers the writers and works that represent the building blocks of libertarianism, including Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill, Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and John Perry Barlow.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154356 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Customer Reviews

A collection of libertarian thought and philosophy
For years now, I have been collecting an assortment of my favorite essays in a handful of binders. Photocopys, internet downloads, you name it. When I came upon a particularly good essay that captured my political philosophy, I stuffed it into my little binder.

I always wondered: why doesn't somebody take this collection of essays and put them into a book?

Well, David Boaz has apparently beaten me to it in his collection of libertarian thought and philosophy, The Libertarian Reader. Not only are many of my favorite essays here, but a couple more that I've never read before. (Apparently, Mr. Boaz has been collecting essays longer than I have.)

This book is essential for a number of reasons. For the curious, The Libertarian Reader offers an introduction to the ideas of free markets, private property rights, and individual rights and freedoms. For the veteran, The Libertarian Reader puts a nice hardbound cover on years of ideas, allowing people like me to throw away the old mangled binders of paper.

The essays in The Libertarian Reader are brief and concise. For people looking for a quick introduction to the libertarian thoughts, each individual essay can easily be read in 15-minute sittings. Some of the biggest names in history, literature and economics are included here, including Ayn Rand, Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill, Frederick Douglas and Adam Smith.

Whether you're new to libertarian ideas, or an old veteran of liberty, The Libertarian Reader, and the companion book, Libertarianism: A Primer, also by David Boaz, are must reads for political junkies and lovers of freedom everywhere.

Interesting for anyone
Why don't they mention information such as contained in this book in any schools? I was saying, "Oh, huh, wow." Its not an alternate to Republican or Democrat like the libertarian party tries to be. Its common sense. I wish this governmental approach and attitude to every nation.

I would also like to mention that I am eating the best damn "Belgian Dark Chocolate" ice cream in the world. Did you know Godiva makes ice cream? Well they do and boy its so good and rich that its able to burn more calories than it makes -- like celery:)

A useless collection of essays
I only read through the first 107 pages of this book before I threw it in my left-unfinished bin. It was so full of useless babble! There was even articles in it in which the ancient kind of slavery was criticized. But any mentions of the modern days' wage slavery were nonexistent. -Don't let this kind of books define what "libertarianism" is. In my opinion it should be nothing but a more decent sounding name for anarchism.