Best Libertarianish books?

Here's a good primer on the Philosophy of Liberty: http://isil.org/resources...

Please spread it around

But it's implications are very complicated. You will spend the rest of your life studying it. To start out, I recommend:

"For A New Liberty" by Murry Rothbard. This is a great primer, and for the newcomer, a real mind blower.

"Anarchy, State, Utopia" by Robert Nozick. This book was written by a real philosopher who, in very simple logic, provides a solid basis for liberty. This book upset my socialist Philosophy 101 professor so much in 1975 that he photo copied whole chapters for the class and spent almost the entire semester trying to refute them.

"Economics in One Lesson" by Henry Hazlitt. I don't know of a better place to start studying markets.

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. Hands down, the greatest moral defense of human freedom, and the greatest moral critic of oppression. You don't have to buy the whole philosophy to enjoy and profit from this book. Read it. Drink it in. Keep in your heart that which speaks to you. Love it or hate it, you cannot help but be affected by it.

"God of the Machine" by Rose Wilder Lane. Loved this book...until it was stolen by someone when they broke into my rental car in Snohomish County in Washington about 13 years ago. I hope he read it. Maybe it will make him feel bad. This book gives some historical perspective to human freedom. Well written and readable.

"The Machinery of Freedom" by David Friedman. This book is just plain fun. Very radical. Sounds a lot like Rothbard. My favorite phrase: if Capitalism is worth saving, it's worth saving at a profit.

"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World" by Harry Browne. This is a great sanity restorer for those of us who spend way too much time worrying about the future. If you can't change the world, change yourself.

http://www.shopjbs.org/in...

and

http://mises.org/literatu...

i read a review for Mises' Causes of The Economic Crisis, and it said Mises gives a great explanation of the Business Cycle.

Every book I recommend to you I have actually read:

If you want to understand Ron Paul the man, read : Mises: A Personal Statement(very short-free on Mises.org)

If you want a general overview of moderate/mainstream libertarianism, read: Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman. I have heard that "Free to Choose" is an updated and better version of Capitalism and Freedom, but I havent read it yet(though I own it). I think it is healthy to learn about practical libertarians so that you dont feel like you have to go around spouting the "non-aggression axiom" over and over like some close minded and brainwashed communist. I am probably somewhere between Rothbard and Friedman...very close to Mises.

On the gold standard, I very much liked Ron Paul's "The Case for Gold" regarding monetary policy history in the USA. It did not deal with arguments against the gold standard very well, though. The gold standard is a lot like anarcho-capitalism: its supporters are too dogmatic to critique themselves in any real sense, and no one else cares enough to even address the issue meaningfully(I am not an anarchist for the record). They just talk past each other. The best way to learn the pros and cons of the Gold Standard is by reading the Gold Commission Report done by a Congressional Committee in 1980. You can find it online for free.

On Economics, any of the short free books by Murray Rothbard are good. He is the best non-fiction writer I have ever read. Beware the longer ones(besides maybe America's Great Depression, I havent read it). Do NOT buy "Man, Economy, and State". It sucks. You would be better off buying a macro-econ/micro econ textbook to learn from, and then apply Austrian principles through various published articles on Mises.org. You should try to learn about all of the schools of economic thought. Peddling Prosperity by Paul Krugman is a good book in this regard, although it is not comprehensive. The best way to learn about Austrian answers to mainstream/Keynesian questions is to read Frank Shostak's article archive on Mises.org.

As a Christian, I cannot really recommend anything by Ayn Rand, but I am halfway through "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" and it is very clever and humorous(due to its dogmatic and harsh language". It mostly makes political and moral arguments, and is light on economics. I read "Atlas Shrugged" and I dont recommend it.

Economic Policy - Ludwig von Mises
The Ethics of Liberty - Murray Rothbard (not finished yet, but great so far)
Politically Incorrect Guide to American History - Tom Woods

Mises book is great for understanding political economy.
Rothbard book is the full defense of Libertarian thought (anarchist though).
Woods book is a refutation of the Progressive version of US history.

of American Education.

-----------------
The answer to 1984 is 1776! ~ Alex Jones

When asked what did you give us?
"A Republic, if you can keep it" ~ Benjamin Frankiln

A Manifesto; A Foreign Policy for Freedom, and Freedom Under Siege are my 3 favorites of his.
I think Mary Ruwart's Healing Our World In an Age of Aggression is a very important book.
Economics in One Lesson is a good basic starter for economics.
In fiction, Ayn Rand put me on the libertarian track as she has for so many.
A short lighthearted sci fi that dramatizes a voluntary society in a playful style is The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell
To name just a few.