The Freeman Book

by Albert Jay Nock

Yes, that's The Freeman. This is the original, as edited by Albert Jay Nock in the early 1920s. It is radical, far-reaching, topical, and bracing in every way. Here we have a collection of what Nock himself considered to be the best of that journal, with many of the articles (probably even half) written by Nock himself. Don't expect anything conventional from this volume. This generation considered themselves to be not liberals or conservatives but radicals. Their judgments are often uncannily wise. Sometimes they are reckless. Sometimes downright wrong. But their writings are always interesting. This book should be of great interest to bibliophiles, although it is not a good choice if learning economics is your mission. As a snapshot in time, as a glimpse into radical opinion between the wars, and as a look at the history of libertarian ideas, this book is essential. It is very large, 416 pages in fact. There was no index, but we added an excellent and comprehensive table of contents, with authors clearly noted. All told, it is a fascinating package of ideology, commentary, and editorializing on events of the day, from 1920 to 1924. Here we have the original Freeman! To search for Mises Institute titles, enter a keyword and LvMI (short for Ludwig von Mises Institute); e.g., Depression LvMI

Genres: Economics

ebook

First published January 20, 2012

About the author

American libertarian author, Georgist, social critic of the early and middle 20th century, outspoken opponent of the New Deal.

He served as a inspiration for the modern libertarian and Conservative movements.

He was one of the first Americans to self-identify as "libertarian"

http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ckank/Ful...

Reviews

[Sonal Panse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and witty!!

"At the conclusion of Lord Robert's address, one of his auditors had the temerity to ask him whether he was prepared to advocate the scrapping of imperialism in the East, particularly in such places as Egypt, India and Mesopotamia, where alien rule rests wholly upon armed forces. Lord Robert answered promptly that he was opposed to "any policy which I could describe as imperialistic." He added, however, that he would not advocate the abandonment by a great Power of "any trust undertaken on behalf of a weak and struggling people," and that he "would not advocate any policy which would hand over the populations of great districts to disorder, bloodshed and slaughter." This is a splendid moral view; and it is unfortunate that the lesser peoples are so steeped in barbarism that they do not also appreciate what a blessing it is to be murdered and robbed by civilized foreigners rather than by one another. It is a view which shows that Lord Robert's heart is in the right place."

"If I have blackjacked you and seem to be sitting on your chest and relieving you of your valuables," remarked the highwayman, "it is merely an exhibition of altruism. Had I let you pass in peace, you might have fallen and hurt yourself, smashed your watch and lost your money."