This long essay from 1954 reflects Read’s attempt to think through the question of why we need government and how best to limit it. As the title suggests, he lays out an ideal vision of what an ideal government should and should not do, with the hope that it will motivate readers to work toward that end. The book comes in two parts, with the first laying out the general case followed by a section that examines more detailed issues.
Also from the FEE Library
Clichés of Socialism Number 16 by Leonard E. Read
“We’re paying for it, so we might as well get our share. “
The American Tradition by Clarence B. Carson
In this book written in 1964, Carson offers a history of the United States in which each chapter focuses on an element of what he sees as the unique American tradition of liberty. Chapters cover topics such as “republican government,” “individualism, “free economic intercourse,” and “virtue and morality.” Carson argues that the US Constitution was [...]
Is Politics Insoluble? by Henry Hazlitt
This is the final collection of essays by the 20th century’s premier economic journalist. Hazlitt originally intended this to be a larger project, but his death in 1993 prevented him from finishing all of the planned chapters. What he did complete is presented here as a series of essays all dealing with the question posed [...]
Free To Try by Hans Sennholz
The freedom to engage in entrepreneurship, and the benefits that entrepreneurs create for all of us, are the main theme of this group of previously published Freeman essays, which includes short pieces by Ludwig von Mises and Israel Kirzner among other well-known names. A number of contemporary authors have contributions here as well. The essays [...]
Letter from Rose Wilder Lane to Leonard E. Read September 16, 1950 by Rose Wilder Lane
Rose Wilder Lane discusses in views of money in this letter to Leonard Read dated September 16, 1950.
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