There are countless Libertarianism courses, tutorials, articles available online, but for some, having a book is still a necessity to learn. This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
1. Libertarianism (Key Concepts in Political Theory) (2018)
The essence of libertarianism is the view that coercive political institutions, such as the state, are justified only insofar as they function to protect each person’s liberty to pursue their own goals and well-being in their own way. Libertarians accordingly argue that any attempt to enforce top-down concepts of social justice or economic equality are fundamentally misconceived. In this book, leading expert Eric Mack provides a rigorous and clear account of the philosophical principles of libertarianism. He offers accounts of three…
2. Getting Libertarianism Right (2018)
Useful as a brief statement of where Hoppe stands on the most important issues within the libertrarian movement — and the most important issues of our age. Some regard Hoppe as the greatest living libertarian, others as the devil. The only point of agreement is that he is a thinker who cannot be ignored. #557,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5110 in Political Ideologies & Doctrines (Books) Would you like to ?If you are a seller for this product, would you like to ?…
3. Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know (2012)
Historically, Americans have seen libertarians as far outside the mainstream, but with the rise of the Tea Party movement, libertarian principles have risen to the forefront of Republican politics. But libertarianism is more than the philosophy of individual freedom and unfettered markets that Republicans have embraced. Indeed, as Jason Brennan points out, libertarianism is a quite different–and far richer–system of thought than most of us suspect. In this timely new entry in Oxford’s acclaimed series What Everyone Needs to Know®, Brennan offers a nuanced portrait of libertarianism, proceeding through a series of…
4. Libertarianism For Beginners (2016)
Libertarianism isn’t about winning elections; it is first and foremost a political philosophy―a description of how, in the opinion of libertarians, free people ought to treat one another, at least when they use the law, which they regard as potentially dangerous. If libertarians are correct, the law should intrude into people’s lives as little as possible, rarely telling them what to do or how to live.A political and economic philosophy as old as John Locke and John Stuart Mill, but as alive and timely as Rand Paul, the Tea Party, and the novels of Ayn Rand, libertarianism emphasizes individual rights and calls for a radical…
5. Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto (2015)
In this essential manifesto of the new libertarian movement, New York Times bestselling author and president of FreedomWorks Matt Kibbe makes a stand for individual liberty and shows us what we must do to preserve our freedom.Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff is a rational yet passionate argument that defends the principles upon which America was founded—principles shared by citizens across the political spectrum. The Constitution grants each American the right to self-determination, to be protected from others whose actions are destructive to…
6. Libertarianism in a Nutshell (2016)
Have you heard the word “libertarian” a lot in current political talks? Do you believe that the government isn’t designed to shape the way people live their lives? If you answered “Yes” then this book will explain how you may already be a Libertarian. Do you understand what libertarians stand for? Do you understand the Non-Aggression Principle? Do you think that we should be engaged in endless wars? Do you think that the government should tell people how to live their lives? Do you think the current Republican vs. Democrat political banter is actually fixing…
7. Libertarianism: A Primer (1998)
Tens of millions of Americans, from Generation X-ers to baby boomers and beyond, are rediscovering libertarianism, a visionary alternative to the tired party orthodoxies of left and right. In 1995 a Gallup poll found that 52 percent of Americans said “the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.” Later that year, The Wall Street Journal concurred, saying: “Because of their growing disdain for government, more and more Americans appear to be drifting—often unwittingly—toward a libertarian philosophy.” Libertarianism is hardly new,…
8. The Virtue of Selfishness: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition (1964)
Since their initial publication, Rand’s fictional works—Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged—have had a major impact on the intellectual scene. The underlying theme of her famous novels is her philosophy, a new morality—the ethics of rational self-interest—that offers a robust challenge to altruist-collectivist thought. Known as Objectivism, her divisive philosophy holds human life—the life proper to a rational being—as the standard of moral values and regards altruism as incompatible with man’s nature. In this series of essays, Rand asks why man needs…
9. The Revolution: A Manifesto (2009)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThis much is true: You have been lied to. The government is expanding. Taxes are increasing. More senseless wars are being planned. Inflation is ballooning. Our basic freedoms are disappearing. The Founding Fathers didn’t want any of this. In fact, they said so quite clearly in the Constitution of the United States of America. Unfortunately, that beautiful, ingenious, and revolutionary document is being ignored more and more in Washington. If we are to enjoy peace, freedom, and prosperity once again, we absolutely must…
10. The Libertarian Reader: Classic & Contemporary Writings from Lao-Tzu to Milton Friedman (2015)
“The most magnificent collection of libertarian writings ever published” (Laissez Faire Books).An important 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. This is the first comprehensive anthology of libertarian thought—from the Bible and Lao-Tzu to Hayek and Milton Friedman—to be published in one volume. The 68…
11. The New Libertarianism: Anarcho-Capitalism (2013)
The Ludwig von Mises Institute says (reviewer David Gordon): “…this remarkable book began as an academic thesis written in 1972, and submitted the next year for a graduate degree…The book is much more than an academic thesis, though; it is a distinguished addition to libertarian thought.” The late 1960s and early 1970s marked the first wave of the libertarian movement. Ayn Rand’s Objectivism had shaken mainstream philosophy with its core ideas. But Rand was a staunch advocate of limited government, a stance which distanced her from many of her own admirers and students, who saw…
12. Boundaries of Order: Private Property as a Social System (2009)
Boundaries of Order by Butler Shaffer is in that tradition, a completely fresh look at a marvelous intellectual apparatus by a mature intellectual who has been writing on law, economics, and history for four decades. It is the treatise on liberty and property for the digital age, one written in the Rothbardian/Hayekian tradition but with a unique perspective on how the great struggle between state and society is playing itself out in our times. What’s striking is how this is not a book that merely bemoans a bygone era. In fact, Shaffer’s view is that the state itself…
Many people believe that liberty is the core political value of modern civilization itself, the one that gives substance and form to all the other values of social life. They’re called libertarians. Libertarianism (from Latin: libertas, meaning “freedom”) is a collection of political philosophies and movements that uphold liberty as a core principle. Libertarians seek to maximize political freedom and autonomy, emphasizing freedom of choice, voluntary association and individual judgment. The best books on Libertarianism recommended by Anne Heller. The magazine editor, journalist and biographer of Ayn Rand selects five books that define the essence of libertarianism. Atlas Shrugged is first on her list. There are other books in addition to these that express libertarian sentiments, often more obliquely. Everyone’s list will no doubt differ. The ten I offer below is a personal selection of books that have resonated with me, and from which I think others might draw interest and inspiration. They come from a variety of disciplines, but all have Books published by Libertarianism.org, an imprint of the Cato Institute Press.
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some libertarianism books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
The Routledge Handbook of Libertarianism
Author(s): Jason Brennan, David Schmidtz, Bas van der Vossen
Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Year: 2018, Size: 2 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2171292
Specialization and Trade: A Re-introduction to Economics
Author(s): Arnold Kling, Arnold Kling
Publisher: Libertarianism.org Press, Year: 2016, Size: 179 Kb, Download: epub
ID: 1518180
The Right’s First Amendment: The Politics of Free Speech & the Return of Conservative Libertarianism
Author(s): Wayne Batchis
Publisher: Stanford Law Books, Year: 2016, Size: 17 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2330214
Freedom and self-creation : Anselmian libertarianism
Author(s): Rogers, Katherin A
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Year: 2015, Size: 1 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 1703957
America’s Battle for Media Democracy: The Triumph of Corporate Libertarianism and the Future of Media Reform
Author(s): Victor Pickard
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Year: 2015, Size: 17 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2211388
Uncivil Liberties: Deconstructing Libertarianism
Author(s): Georgia Kelly, Benjamin Boyce, Benjamin Colby, Gus DiZerega, Julianne Maurseth, Barry Spector, Georgia Kelly, Hazel Henderson
Publisher: Praxis Peace Institute, Year: 2013, Size: 297 Kb, Download: epub
ID: 1308024
Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know
Author(s): Jason Brennan
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Year: 2012, Size: 2 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 871215
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are truly chart-busters according to Los Angeles Times, others are composed by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant books you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.