Recommended Books

Jacob Halbrooks	The Lord of the Rings trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien: If you thought only teenage chess geeks and Band players could be into elves and dwarves, hopefully the recent movies have changed your mind. Tolkien's story is the best ever written: inspiring, powerful, exciting, and libertarian to the end.	Dune, by Frank Herbert: The best science fiction story ever written. Though it is not explicitly libertarian, Herbert combines a convincing plot with heavier philosophical questions regarding the nature of power and the state. The original series is much better than the recently written books by Herbert's son.	Human Action, by Ludwig von Mises: An economics text that is not only close to a thousand pages, but is also translated from German. What could be more exciting? If you do have the mental fortitude to wade through the book though, you will gain a greater understanding of everything related to human action.	The Probability Broach, by L. Neil Smith: The award for best blatantly libertarian science fiction book is close, with so many wonderful titles by Smith and Robert Heinlein. Smith's writing style makes you keep turning the pages as well as Heinlein, but he challenges the reader more with the ethical questions he raises (and answers).
John deLaubenfels	Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. Yes, I know, EVERYBODY cites this book, but what can I say? It definitely radicalized my way of thinking.	Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do, by Peter McWilliams. A long but readable and passionate book on "the absurdity of consensual crimes in a free society." McWilliams himself became a victim of this nation's absurd drug war.	Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt. Concise, clear, to the point.
Humberto Fontova	Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter Thompson. Because it's the funniest book ever written. Tom Wolfe called it "a scorching epochal sensation!" He's right. The movie does it no justice. This book was not meant to be a movie.	A Mencken Chrestomathy, by H.L. Mencken. Because these are the best essays from America's best essayist. An absolute gem. The man is a delight to read in any form. When you get his vintage stuff, it's pure delirium.	The Helldiver's Rodeo, by Humberto Fontova, because I wrote it and can use the royalties. Besides, the New Orleans Times Picayune called it "An orgy of political incorrectness...a wonderful book!" Publisher's Weekly: "Highly entertaining!" Even the pinkos over at Salon.com called it "Terrific!" among others.
Glen Allport	Birth Without Violence, by Frederick Leboyer. See Glen's column.	The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost, by Jean Liedloff. See Glen's column.	Free at Last: the Sudbury Valley School, by Daniel Greenberg. See Glen's column.	For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence, by Alice Miller. See Glen's column.
Glen Allport (continued)	Death by Government, by R.J. Rummel. See Glen's column.	Tibetan Portrait: The Power of Compassion, by Phil Borges. See Glen's column.
Andrew Rogers	George Mason: Constitutionalist, by Helen Hill Miller. A good biography of the most important founding father most Americans have never heard of (Thomas Jefferson thought so), and possibly our greatest forgotten libertarian hero.	The Great Plains, by George Prescott Webb. The opening and taming (what an un-PC word!) of America's first frontier by bold and entrepreneurial men and women, helped along by three great inventions: the revolver, the windmill, and barbed wire.	Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men, by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel (no relation). Rothbard called the War for Southern Independence America's second just war. Hummel cuts through decades of lies to lay out what really happened and why.	Leftism Revisited: From De Sade and Marx to Hitler and Pol Pot, by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn. Not strictly speaking a libertarian, but a self-described "Christian conservative anarchist" and Man of the Right, K-L ties history and philosophy together with a passionate opposition to egalitarianism, militarism, and coercive government.
George F. Smith	Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. Rand dramatizes the moral basis of capitalism and capitalism's enemies. It is a philosophical tour-de-force presented as a mystery.	Human Action, by Ludwig von Mises. A presentation of acting man and his pursuits in a market economy, it also discusses the historical roots and exposes the fallacies of interventionist theories.	What Has Government Done to Our Money?, by Murray N. Rothbard. Though scarcely over 100 pages, this book captures the essence of Rothbard: clear thinking and brilliant scholarship combined in an engaging prose style. His explanation of the origin and nature of money is indispensable for understanding free markets and the destructiveness of the state's fiat dollars.	The Real Lincoln, by Thomas J. DiLorenzo. DiLorenzo pulls the curtains back on the myths about Lincoln's war, in highly readable fashion. This book gets readers to want to learn more about what the state has done in the name of "freedom."
George F. Smith (continued)	The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, by Nathaniel Branden. A free society won't work unless people take responsibility for their lives. Branden's works tell us why we should want to, how we fail ourselves, and how we can change.	Honorable mentions: Selected Essays on Political Economy, by Frederic Bastiat; Atheism: The Case Against God, by George H. Smith (no relation); Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men, by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel; Crisis and Leviathan, by Robert Higgs.
Wally Conger	See Wally's column.	See Wally's column.	See Wally's column.	See Wally's column.
Lee McCracken	Our Enemy the State, by Albert Jay Nock. An all-time classic. Nock shows us the essential and inevitable conflict between the coercive parasitic state and voluntary, productive society. Short, radical and beautifully written.	America First! Its Culture, History and Politics, by Bill Kauffman (introduction by Gore Vidal). Kauffman offers a kind of “counter-history” of American politics by telling the stories of those who resisted and criticized the centralizing state and its wars. He makes it clear that the “left/right” dichotomy is a delusion by showing how much someone like former Reagan speechwriter John McClaughry has in common with a left-anarchist like Edward Abbey.	The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. His greatest novel. Dostoyevsky’s picture of human nature should convince anyone that none of us can be trusted with power.	The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate Lewis’ rousing defense of natural law and his incisive (and prophetic) critique of the therapeutic-totalitarian mindset that would use the power of the state to remake human nature. Lewis’ vision is rooted in a firm belief in the inviolable dignity of every individual.
Karen De Coster	Crisis and Leviathan, by Robert Higgs. A necessary book because it details how a crisis (whether legitimate or falsely propagated) gives rise to increasing powers for the State, and after the “crisis” is over, State power necessarily ratchets back, but not back to where it was when the crisis began. Therefore, each crisis throughout history has contributed to the further growth of the State.	Socialism, by Ludwig von Mises. The world’s most masterful refutation and critique of all aspects of socialism.	Capitalism, by George Reisman. A huge treatise on the method and theory of economics. It is the most comprehensive book available on the theory and ethics of a free market economy.	Reassessing the Presidency, by John Denson. The first full-scale revision of the U.S. Presidency and all of its assorted warts.
Karen De Coster (continued)	The Irrepressible Rothbard, by Murray Rothbard. Regarding Murray Rothbard, philosopher David Gordon once wondered "if there are really three, four, or five geniuses writing under his name." This book illustrates Rothbard’s genius as a journalist, economist, cultural critic, political observer, movement organizer, and intellectual leader. Simply delicious.

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