Laissez Faire Books
Encyclopedia
Laissez Faire Books is an online bookseller that was originally based in New York City
when it first opened in 1972. The bookstore's ownership was transferred to the International Society for Individual Liberty
in November 2007. It is considered to be the largest libertarian bookseller.
From 1982 until the 2007 transfer to ISIL, Laissez Faire Books operated as a division of two separate non-profit corporation
s, the Center for Independent Thought from 1982 to 2004, and the Center for Libertarian Thought from 2005 to 2007. In of March 2011, Agora Financial acquired Laissez Faire Books.
in 1972 by John Muller and Sharon Presley
. Muller, a civil engineer who wanted to make a personal commitment to what he called "living liberty," was the originator of the idea of Laissez Faire Books. Muller found the location for the Laissez Faire Bookstore and Art Gallery in a tiny shop on Mercer Street in Greenwich Village
, New York City, late in 1971. Together with Presley, a graduate student in psychology at CUNY Graduate Center
, Muller mailed their first flyer to about a thousand people, names they had scraped together from their contacts around the country. During the mid-seventies, the Bookstore became a center for libertarian
discussion in New York.
The official opening was March 4, 1972 with many local libertarian writers and thinkers in attendance, including Murray Rothbard
, Roy A. Childs, Jr., and Jerome Tuccille
.
In Radicals for Capitalism, a history of the libertarian movement, Brian Doherty writes "The store became an important social center for the movement in America's largest city, a place for any traveling libertarian to stop for company and succor..."
In the first several years, many events were sponsored by LFB, including films with libertarian themes, talks by luminaries such as anti-establishment
psychiatrist
Dr. Peter Breggin
and TV journalist Edith Efron
as well as social gatherings. Events included not only book signings (for example, Rothbard and Tuccille) but entertainment with a libertarian angle, including showings of the pro-individual, anti-authoritarian cult TV series, "The Prisoner
."
Its location in Greenwich Village attracted non-libertarians as well. They may not have purchased books but Bob Dylan
, Jerry Rubin
, Alger Hiss
and Bella Abzug
passed through its doors. Hiss remarked to a friend, "It’s a clean anarchist bookstore." Muller and Presley, who strove to make the bookstore attractive as well as useful, were amused by this ironic comment. Dylan asked if the store carried haiku poetry. Presley, pointing out that it was a libertarian
and anarchist bookstore, directed him to a copy of the IWW
Songbook.
From 1972 to 1977, Presley edited the Laissez Faire Review, a combination book catalog and book review magazine. The books reviewed ran the gamut of libertarian and anti-authority thought from laissez-faire economics (e.g., Murray Rothbard
, Ludwig von Mises
) and political philosophy (e.g., For a New Liberty by Rothbard, Our Enemy the State by Albert Jay Nock
, Concerning Women by Suzanne La Follette
) through anarchist philosophy, including books by Emma Goldman
, Alexander Berkman
and Peter Kropotkin
as well as native born American anarchists Lysander Spooner
and Karl Hess
; from libertarian science fiction (e.g., The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell
and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
to anti-authoritarian psychology (e.g., Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram
).
Employees at LFB who went on to create careers for themselves included Roy A. Childs, Jr. (see below). Presley went on to get her Ph.D. in social psychology from the City University of New York
, and taught at California State University, East Bay
until her retirement in 2009. Muller returned to life as a civil engineer.
Muller sold the bookstore to Andrea Millen Rich in 1982. She served as president of Laissez Faire Books and its parent organization, the Center for Independent Thought, for 23 years, from 1982 until her retirement in January 2005. LFB's president from 2005 to 2007 was Kathleen Nelson.
Roy A. Childs, Jr., was the long-time editorial director of LFB, until his death in 1992. Author and historian Jim Powell served as LFB editor from 1992 to 2004. David M. Brown served as editor from 2004 to 2006. Ben Richman served as LFB editor from 2006 to 2007.
On March 17, 2011 Agora Financial, LLC, a major publisher of books and newsletters on economics and investments, announced that it had acquired Laissez Faire Books from the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL).
and John Wilkes
. Fox & Wilkes published the works of contemporary libertarian authors and reissued classic libertarian books that were out-of-print.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when it first opened in 1972. The bookstore's ownership was transferred to the International Society for Individual Liberty
International Society for Individual Liberty
The International Society for Individual Liberty or ISIL is a non-profit, non-partisan libertarian educational group encouraging activism in libertarian and individual rights areas by the 'freely chosen strategies' of its members. Its history dates back to 1969 as the Society for Individual...
in November 2007. It is considered to be the largest libertarian bookseller.
From 1982 until the 2007 transfer to ISIL, Laissez Faire Books operated as a division of two separate non-profit corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, the Center for Independent Thought from 1982 to 2004, and the Center for Libertarian Thought from 2005 to 2007. In of March 2011, Agora Financial acquired Laissez Faire Books.
History
LFB was founded in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1972 by John Muller and Sharon Presley
Sharon Presley
Sharon Presley is an American libertarian and individualist anarchist feminist, writer, activist, and retired professor of psychology. She was also co-founder and former co-proprietor of Laissez Faire Books, which was once regarded as the largest libertarian bookstore.- Academic career :Presley...
. Muller, a civil engineer who wanted to make a personal commitment to what he called "living liberty," was the originator of the idea of Laissez Faire Books. Muller found the location for the Laissez Faire Bookstore and Art Gallery in a tiny shop on Mercer Street in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, New York City, late in 1971. Together with Presley, a graduate student in psychology at CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
, Muller mailed their first flyer to about a thousand people, names they had scraped together from their contacts around the country. During the mid-seventies, the Bookstore became a center for libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
discussion in New York.
The official opening was March 4, 1972 with many local libertarian writers and thinkers in attendance, including Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
, Roy A. Childs, Jr., and Jerome Tuccille
Jerome Tuccille
Jerome Tuccille is an American writer and activist usually associated with the libertarian movement of American politics. Tuccille was referred to as "everybody's favorite right-wing anarchist," by one reviewer. "Tuccille was the Free Libertarian Party of New York's 1974 gubernatorial candidate...
.
In Radicals for Capitalism, a history of the libertarian movement, Brian Doherty writes "The store became an important social center for the movement in America's largest city, a place for any traveling libertarian to stop for company and succor..."
In the first several years, many events were sponsored by LFB, including films with libertarian themes, talks by luminaries such as anti-establishment
Anti-establishment
An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine New Statesman to refer to its political and social agenda...
psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Dr. Peter Breggin
Peter Breggin
Peter Roger Breggin is an American psychiatrist and critic of biological psychiatry and psychiatric medication. In his books, he advocates replacing psychiatry's use of drugs and electroconvulsive therapy with humanistic approaches, such as psychotherapy, education, and broader human...
and TV journalist Edith Efron
Edith Efron
Edith Efron was American journalist and author.Graduating from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she studied under journalist John Chamberlain, her career began as a writer for the New York Times Magazine. In 1947, she married a Haitian businessman, with whom she had a...
as well as social gatherings. Events included not only book signings (for example, Rothbard and Tuccille) but entertainment with a libertarian angle, including showings of the pro-individual, anti-authoritarian cult TV series, "The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
."
Its location in Greenwich Village attracted non-libertarians as well. They may not have purchased books but Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin was an American social activist during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s, he became a successful businessman.-Early life:...
, Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
and Bella Abzug
Bella Abzug
Bella Savitsky Abzug was an American lawyer, Congresswoman, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus...
passed through its doors. Hiss remarked to a friend, "It’s a clean anarchist bookstore." Muller and Presley, who strove to make the bookstore attractive as well as useful, were amused by this ironic comment. Dylan asked if the store carried haiku poetry. Presley, pointing out that it was a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
and anarchist bookstore, directed him to a copy of the IWW
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
Songbook.
From 1972 to 1977, Presley edited the Laissez Faire Review, a combination book catalog and book review magazine. The books reviewed ran the gamut of libertarian and anti-authority thought from laissez-faire economics (e.g., Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
, Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
) and political philosophy (e.g., For a New Liberty by Rothbard, Our Enemy the State by Albert Jay Nock
Albert Jay Nock
Albert Jay Nock was an influential United States libertarian author, educational theorist, and social critic of the early and middle 20th century.- Life and work :...
, Concerning Women by Suzanne La Follette
Suzanne La Follette
Suzanne Clara La Follette was an American journalist and author who advocated for libertarian feminism in the first half of the 20th century. As an editor she helped found several magazines. She was an early and ardent feminist and a vocal anti communist.-Family:She was born in Washington state...
) through anarchist philosophy, including books by Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
, Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman was an anarchist known for his political activism and writing. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century....
and Peter Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin
Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...
as well as native born American anarchists Lysander Spooner
Lysander Spooner
Lysander Spooner was an American individualist anarchist, political philosopher, Deist, abolitionist, supporter of the labor movement, legal theorist, and entrepreneur of the nineteenth century. He is also known for competing with the U.S...
and Karl Hess
Karl Hess
Karl Hess was an American national-level speechwriter and author. He was also a political philosopher, editor, welder, motorcycle racer, tax resister, atheist, and libertarian activist...
; from libertarian science fiction (e.g., The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell
Eric Frank Russell
Eric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and...
and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
to anti-authoritarian psychology (e.g., Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram
Stanley Milgram
Stanley Milgram was an American social psychologist most notable for his controversial study known as the Milgram Experiment. The study was conducted in the 1960s during Milgram's professorship at Yale...
).
Employees at LFB who went on to create careers for themselves included Roy A. Childs, Jr. (see below). Presley went on to get her Ph.D. in social psychology from the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, and taught at California State University, East Bay
California State University, East Bay
California State University, East Bay is a public university located in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The university, as part of the 23-campus California State University system, offers over 100 areas of study...
until her retirement in 2009. Muller returned to life as a civil engineer.
Muller sold the bookstore to Andrea Millen Rich in 1982. She served as president of Laissez Faire Books and its parent organization, the Center for Independent Thought, for 23 years, from 1982 until her retirement in January 2005. LFB's president from 2005 to 2007 was Kathleen Nelson.
Roy A. Childs, Jr., was the long-time editorial director of LFB, until his death in 1992. Author and historian Jim Powell served as LFB editor from 1992 to 2004. David M. Brown served as editor from 2004 to 2006. Ben Richman served as LFB editor from 2006 to 2007.
On March 17, 2011 Agora Financial, LLC, a major publisher of books and newsletters on economics and investments, announced that it had acquired Laissez Faire Books from the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL).
Fox & Wilkes Books
Before being taken over by ISIL, Laissez Faire Books had its own book publishing arm: Fox & Wilkes Books, named after two eighteenth-century British classical liberals, Charles James FoxCharles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
and John Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
. Fox & Wilkes published the works of contemporary libertarian authors and reissued classic libertarian books that were out-of-print.