Ludwig von Mises’s Human Action was published on this date in 1949. From the beginning, the Mises Institute’s mission has been to champion this book’s importance in the history of economic thought.
In the words of Henry Hazlitt, in his New York Times Review:
Human Action is, in short, at once the most uncompromising and the most rigorously reasoned statement of the case for capitalism that has yet appeared. If any single book can turn the ideological tide that has been running in recent years so heavily toward statism, socialism, and totalitarianism, Human Action is that book.
Thanks to our generous donors, the vital ideas in this book are more widely accessible than ever before. This is true not only due to translations that have birthed entire Austro-libertarian movements around the world, but also in the ways it is available to anyone sincerely interested in the ideas that build a peaceful and prosperous civilization.
The Mises Institute has long made the text of Human Action available for free online as an HTML, PDF, and EPUB, as well as an audiobook. Also available is Robert Murphy’s invaluable study guide. Both are also available in physical form at the Mises Bookstore.
In order to make Human Action even more accessible to modern readers, Jeff Deist dedicated his Human Action Podcast to a full series on the book. Each episode pairs a section of the book with an important Austrian scholar, helping to flesh out and explain the most important parts of the book.
“Why You Should Read Human Action in 2020 with Dr. Shawn Ritenour“
“Human Action Part One with Dr. David Gordon“
“Human Action Part Two with Dr. Robert Murphy“
“Human Action Part Three with Dr. Per Bylund“
“Human Action Part Four with Dr. Jeffrey Herbener“
“Human Action Part Four with Dr. Joe Salerno“
“Human Action Part Four with Dr. Mark Thornton“
“Human Action Part Five with Ryan McMaken“
“Human Action Part Six with Dr. Peter Klein“
“Human Action Part Six with Jeff Deist“
“Human Action Part Seven with Dr. Tom Woods“
For those who prefer articles, the Institute also has a number of articles highlighting the book’s historical significance, and modern relevance. These include:
“Human Action: A Chapter-by-Chapter Summary“ by Martin Stefunko
“Why You Should Read Human Action—Very Carefully“ by Joseph T. Salerno
“The Place of Human Action in the Development of Modern Economic Thought“ by Joseph T. Salerno
“Covid Lockdowns Crippled the Division of Labor, Setting the Stage for Civil Unrest“ by Jonathan Newman
“America’s Riots Are Just the Latest Version of Marxist ‘Syndicalism’“ by Mark Thornton
The Mises Institute is proud to be the only American research organization dedicated to developing new generations of Misesian scholars. Thanks to our donors, the Austrian school of economics is stronger now than ever before, with scholars around the world. Our new graduate program will only further this cause in the future.
The world today needs the ideas of Ludwig von Mises, as articulated in Human Action, as much today as ever before.
