Rothbard A to Z

Murray N. Rothbard

Compiled by Edward W. Fuller
Edited with an Introduction by David Gordon

Are you a Murray Rothbard fan? Do you love his writing? His clarity and style? His razor-sharp economic analysis? His penchant for slaying sacred cows?

One of the most remarkable aspects of Murray Rothbard’s career wasn’t simply the power of his ideas, or his razor-sharp wit, but the sheer breadth of his knowledge. 

A brilliant economist, revolutionary political philosopher, bold revisionist historian, and even joyful cultural commentator, Rothbard was one of the most prolific scholars — perhaps one of the most quotable.

This is the ultimate Rothbard reference book, and your single source for his best excerpts and quotes on all the core subjects: economics, philosophy, epistemology, ethics, history, law, and libertarianism.

Considering Rothbard’s 62-page bibliography — consisting of 30 full-length books, 100 full chapters for edited works, and more than 1,000 scholarly and popular articles — consuming all of his work is almost impossible. Now, thanks to Rothbard A to Z, the ability to search for Rothbard’s unique views on hundreds of topics is now at your fingertips. 

Compiled by Edward W. Fuller and edited by David Gordon, this massive book is a must-have for any true Rothbard aficionado.

Prolific and radical hardly begin to describe him — but his important work has never been brought together like this, a reference guide and a fun book you can open at random for the best “Murrayisms” on any topic!

Here are just a few teasers:

  • Deflation, far from being a catastrophe, is the hallmark of sound and dynamic economic growth.
                    Deflation — Making Economic Sense, p. 16
     
  • ...throughout history, despots and ruling elites of States have had far more need of the services of intellectuals than have peaceful citizens in a free society. For States have always needed opinion-moulding intellectuals to con the public into believing that its rule is wise, good, and inevitable; into believing that the “emperor has clothes.”
                    Intellectuals — For a New Liberty, p. 14
     
  • Integration cannot be achieved by law and coercion; it must first come willingly into the hearts of men.
                     Racism — Left and Right, p. 491
     
  • Professor Mises has keenly pointed out the paradox of interventionists who insist that consumers are too ignorant or incompetent to buy products intelligently, while at the same time proclaiming the virtues of democracy, where the same people vote for or against politicians whom they do not know and on policies which they scarcely understand. To put it another way, the partisans of intervention assume that individuals are not competent to run their own affairs or to hire experts to advise them, but also assume that these same individuals are competent to vote for these experts at the ballot box.
                    Democracy — Man, Economy, and State, p. 886
     
  • Secession is a crucial part of the libertarian philosophy: that every state be allowed to secede from the nation, every sub-state from the state, every neighborhood from the city, and logically, every individual or group from the neighborhood.
                    Secession — Libertarian Forum v. 1, p. 17
Rothbard A to Z

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Meet the Author
Murray N. Rothbard
Murray N. Rothbard

Murray N. Rothbard made major contributions to economics, history, political philosophy, and legal theory. He combined Austrian economics with a fervent commitment to individual liberty.

Mises Wire Murray N. Rothbard
[ Editor’s note: In this article, originally published in October 1984, Murray Rothbard critiques a problem with the economics of Republicans and conservatives. Namely, its proponents think they can...
Mises Wire Murray N. Rothbard
[This article is adapted from Murray Rothbard’s 1977 keynote address to the Libertarian Party.] I used to think that adopting the victory of liberty as the overriding goal must be almost self-evident...
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