It was probably only a matter of time, but it’s still a little sad to see it go: After 36 years,Laissez Faire Books is closing down. Back in the 70s, when Amazon was just a river in South America, LFB was an indispensable resource for anyone who wanted to keep up with an obscure cluster of ideas that went by the ungainly appellation “libertarianism.” (It was also a great place for a geeky college student to learn about the history of the movement—I worked in their Manhattan office for most of my time at NYU, which among other things meant that I got to interview Robert Nozick shortly before he died.) With the rise of superstores and Internet retailing, though, it’s become a simple matter to get ahold of just about any book, leaving little rationale for niche vendors like LFB. Still it was a hell of a run; pop by their online store to take advantage of their final clearance sale before they close their doors for good.
Au Revoir, Laissez Faire!
October 16th, 2007 · 2 Comments
Tags: Markets
2 responses so far ↓
1 Chris // Oct 17, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Just ordered a book on the war on drugs and a lecture by Uncle Miltie. It’s sad to see them go, but thanks for the heads-up.
2 lfb // Nov 12, 2007 at 12:43 pm
It’s official, Laissez Faire Books will not be closing. The International Society for Individual Liberty will be taking over this long-running source for libertarian oriented books. While there will be some period of transition the new Laissez Faire will have a new catalogue available in PDF format by the end of the week. Anyone who wishes to receive the pdf catalogues in the future can do so by emailing laissezfairebooks@gmail.com. ISIL released the following statement:
The International Society for Individual Liberty is pleased to be the new sponsors of Laissez Faire Books. For three decades LFB has been a prime source for libertarian educational material. And we intended to continue, and expand, that tradition.
Your purchase from LFB does more than you may realize. Proceeds from sales allow us to sponsor new books that would never see the light of day otherwise through our Cobden Press publishing arm. In addition, we will sponsor books for libraries, schools, students and non-profit organizations around the world. And you can donate to such causes through ISIL which is a registered non-profit educational organization.
The acquisition of LFB was unexpected so we are still getting a grasp on things. There will be a period of transition. But we will deal with your orders as quickly and efficiently as possible. It may take some time to have the new web site fully functional. But you will receive a regular newsletter from us in PDF format that you should be able to open and enjoy.