Laissez Faire Books R.I.P.

[Mike Renzulli]

Well everyone, I got some bad news in my e-mail box the other day. As it turns out, Laissez Faire Books, a bookstore that has been a staple in the libertarian and (possibly) the Objectivist movements is going to close after 36 years in business.

Thanks to this bookstore, I was converted to libertarianism and when I became an Objectivist, I bought some literature and tapes from LFB for my Objectivist group.

I first learned of LFB after I ordered a book from The Cato Institute in 1994 after becoming a Republican. I saw a Cato Institute rep debate a left-wing think tank rep on C-Span and (aside from the fact that she was hot) I liked what I heard from the Cato Institute spokeperson. As it turns out, LFB had an agreement with Cato to handle orders of books as I got an LFB catalog included with my Cato Institute order.

The books I saw in the catalog were truly radical at the time for me. Yet I was interested in some of them so I started ordering books and, hence, became a bookworm almost instantly. I soon became a libertarian Republican and then switched to the Libertarian Party in 1998.

I guess, over time, LFB lost contracts with think tanks, like Cato, and now will close its doors after 36 years.

This is truly a shame since this bookstore has been a bell weather of providing invaluable books not only on philosophy but also fiction, politics, self help and even notable authors like Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, as well as Nathaniel and Barbara Branden.

LFB also contributed to my intellectual growth. I hope in some way it can be saved or it will be some sort of book review site as I find their insights on certain books invaluable.

They will sorely be missed.

[Brant Gaede]

Well everyone, I got some bad news in my e-mail box the other day. As it turns out, Laissez Faire Books, a bookstore that has been a staple in the libertarian and (possibly) the Objectivist movements is going to close after 36 years in business.

Thanks to this bookstore, I was converted to libertarianism and when I became an Objectivist, I bought some literature and tapes from LFB for my Objectivist group.

I first learned of LFB after I ordered a book from The Cato Institute in 1994 after becoming a Republican. I saw a Cato Institute rep debate a left-wing think tank rep on C-Span and (aside from the fact that she was hot) I liked what I heard from the Cato Institute spokeperson. As it turns out, LFB had an agreement with Cato to handle orders of books as I got an LFB catalog included with my Cato Institute order.

The books I saw in the catalog were truly radical at the time for me. Yet I was interested in some of them so I started ordering books and, hence, became a bookworm almost instantly. I soon became a libertarian Republican and then switched to the Libertarian Party in 1998.

I guess, over time, LFB lost contracts with think tanks, like Cato, and now will close its doors after 36 years.

This is truly a shame since this bookstore has been a bell weather of providing invaluable books not only on philosophy but also fiction, politics, self help and even notable authors like Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, as well as Nathaniel and Barbara Branden.

LFB also contributed to my intellectual growth. I hope in some way it can be saved or it will be some sort of book review site as I find their insights on certain books invaluable.

They will sorely be missed.

I first went to LF Books when it was a store in NYC nearby NY Un. in 1971 or 1972. I haven't had a catalogue from them in many years. My vague memory is that they deserved to die--many years ago. I don't remember or why and don't care very much. Geez, how I miss Roy H. Childs!

--Brant

Edited October 22, 2007 by Brant Gaede

[Chris Grieb]

This is sad news.

I must add that Roy Childs has been gone almost twenty years and I miss him.

[Barbara Branden]

Laissez Faire Books, operated and staffed by people dedicated to the principles of libertarianism, provided a valuable service for many years. It began at a time when books on libertarianism and Objectfvism were both highly unpopular and very scarce, but it persisted through extremely difficult times financially. To those of us who wanted to know that such books existed, and who eagerly ordered them, its service was immensely important. And in recent years, when there was no other way to keep up with the flood of books on aspects of libertarianism and Objectivism, its service was equally important. Unfortunately, with the tragic death of the much-loved Roy Childs, its reviews were never as fine; but then, one could not reasonably expect anyone else to match the work of the Shakespeare of book-reviewers.

No, Brant, LF Books did not deserve to die. I am saddened by its loss. And I congratulate the men and women who worked there so hard and so long. They can be very proud of what they achieved.

Barbara

[Neil Parille]

When I was in high school, it seemed like LFB was one of the few ways that libertarians, individualists and Objectivists could keep in contact with each other. The internet is great, of course; but lets not forget where we came from.

[Alfonso Jones]

Well everyone, I got some bad news in my e-mail box the other day. As it turns out, Laissez Faire Books, a bookstore that has been a staple in the libertarian and (possibly) the Objectivist movements is going to close after 36 years in business.

Thanks to this bookstore, I was converted to libertarianism and when I became an Objectivist, I bought some literature and tapes from LFB for my Objectivist group.

I first learned of LFB after I ordered a book from The Cato Institute in 1994 after becoming a Republican. I saw a Cato Institute rep debate a left-wing think tank rep on C-Span and (aside from the fact that she was hot) I liked what I heard from the Cato Institute spokeperson. As it turns out, LFB had an agreement with Cato to handle orders of books as I got an LFB catalog included with my Cato Institute order.

The books I saw in the catalog were truly radical at the time for me. Yet I was interested in some of them so I started ordering books and, hence, became a bookworm almost instantly. I soon became a libertarian Republican and then switched to the Libertarian Party in 1998.

I guess, over time, LFB lost contracts with think tanks, like Cato, and now will close its doors after 36 years.

This is truly a shame since this bookstore has been a bell weather of providing invaluable books not only on philosophy but also fiction, politics, self help and even notable authors like Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, as well as Nathaniel and Barbara Branden.

LFB also contributed to my intellectual growth. I hope in some way it can be saved or it will be some sort of book review site as I find their insights on certain books invaluable.

They will sorely be missed.

A memory - it was back in the early 1990s, and I was on a trip to San Francisco and had a little spare time. I looked up the address of Laissez Faire books, and made a trip by. After having purchased quite a few items from them, I was surprised at how small the place was. I entered . . . and found that their laissez faire attitude extended to visitors also. One courteous greeting and then I was not disturbed as I wandered around, looked at books on the shelves, etc...

The passing of Laissez Faire Books - a sad moment.

Alfonso

[James Heaps-Nelson]

It is a sad moment, but I do have a few fond memories of going to debates there in San Francisco in the '90's.

Jim

Edited October 23, 2007 by James Heaps-Nelson

[Greybird]

I've had a business and personal relationship with many of the principals of Laissez Faire Books for over thirty years now, from John Muller, to Andrea and Howie Rich, to Roy Childs, to Kathleen Nelson (formerly Hiserodt and Richman, nèe Jacob). I've delighted in knowing all of them. They've had thousands of dollars of business from me by now. Their entrepreneurial work and Childs' writing have influenced my life profoundly, in making connections to and within the broader libertarian movement.

In one sense, losing such a well-focused specialty book service (briefly, in New York, a superb storefront) is a sad day for having lost a part of the past. In another sense, though, this may be a sign of a broader marketplace finally springing up, from multiple locations (such as the Mises, Independent, and Cato Institutes), for liberty-oriented and coercion-opposing works. That sounder situation, which has taken those thirty years to build, is devoutly to be wished and encouraged.

[Chris Grieb]

The web site does not say they are closing. Could you post the e-mail you received.

[Roger Bissell]

The web site does not say they are closing. Could you post the e-mail you received.

Chris, this was emailed to me on October 13. Note the highlighted text...reb

Dear Readers,

We are sad to announce that Laissez Faire Books is going out of business. The book market has changed tremendously over the past 30+ years, and it has gotten harder and harder for a small niche bookseller to cover expenses. I suppose the market has spoken.

I want our loyal customers, supporters, and friends to know how much that support has meant to everyone at LFB over the years. You helped us stay around as long as we did and made our efforts worthwhile.

Before we make a general announcement of our closing, we are giving our BookNews readers first shot at buying out what remains—at extra special savings, of course. Your extra BookNews discount will now be not 10% but 50% off (no, that's not a typo) our normal prices. Our remaining selection will go quite quickly at these discounts, so don't delay!

Thanks again for your support,

Kathleen J. Nelson

[Chris Grieb]

Roger; Thanks for the post. It is sad news. I would hope for a review service so readers can find out about interesting books.

[Roger Bissell]

Roger; Thanks for the post. It is sad news. I would hope for a review service so readers can find out about interesting books.

Chris/all: I managed to find some really nicely discounted items that I had wanted to get and was able to justify buying with the 50% discount, and there is still some good stuff left.

Also, I got another email from LFB this evening, and there appears to be some light in the darkness:

Dear Readers,

Thank you for all the supportive and sympathetic emails and phone calls we have received since announcing our plans to close our operations.

We have some good news. There are several groups that have shown an interest in continuing parts of LFB's mission, especially to make our book reviews and other web site content available online. We hope to have more details for you soon. Wherever our web content ends up, you will probably be able to find it by using one of our subdomains (LFB.org, laissezfaire.org, and laissezfairebooks.com), which should redirect to the new web location.

With the extra-special discounts we launched for BookNews readers, our remaining inventory is going fast. But there are still some great titles available, so get thenm while they're hot!

Thanks again for your support,

Kathleen J. Nelson

[Judith]

Wow -- the memories.

I discovered LFB when I was a graduate student. Most of my libertarian library came from there. I ordered "The Passion of Ayn Rand" from there. I ordered "Judgment Day" from there. Before the internet, it was the only way to find out when cool new books were coming out, and I grabbed the new catalogs eagerly each month.

I went to the store in NYC -- I still remember wandering around down around the Twin Towers. It was a tiny store, and I carried a number of heavy books home with me on the bus.

RIP.

Judith

Edited October 24, 2007 by Judith

[Brant Gaede]

Wow -- the memories.

I discovered LFB when I was a graduate student. Most of my libertarian library came from there. I ordered "The Passion of Ayn Rand" from there. I ordered "Judgment Day" from there. Before the internet, it was the only way to find out when cool new books were coming out, and I grabbed the new catalogs eagerly each month.

I went to the store in NYC -- I still remember wandering around down around the Twin Towers. It was a tiny store, and I carried a number of heavy books home with me on the bus.

RIP.

Judith

I think I was there on opening day--or at least soon after. I purchased the Brandens' "Who Is Ayn Rand" in hardcover. They had stacks of them on a high shelf. At the time I was commuting to NYC from New Jersey.

--Brant

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Kat and I never went, but we were customers and Kat (OL) carried an affiliate program with LFB. We are very sad that it is going out of business.

Michael

[Chris Grieb]

I hope they can find some way to keep the reviews coming out. As I said it is sad news.

[emb021]

I, too, had heard of their coming demise on another forum. I had just taken advantage of their September book sale as a 'birthday gift' to myself.

I discovered LFB way back when I got into libertarianism/objectivism, and have gotten their catalogs ever since. I recall they had a separate catalog for their anarchist works. I would pour over the catalogs, checking off the books I had, and marking the ones I wanted. Being a poor college student at the time, it was a while before I started to make a dent in that list. Being from southern Florida, during a time where most bookstores weren't as extensive as what we have today with Borders, B&N or BAM, LFB was pretty much my only source for most of this stuff, and more importantly, one of the important sources for what DID exist. The only recourse one had to find out what other works existed would be to go over the bibliography lists of l/o works you had. There were few lists of 'recommended' reading, and those that existed, while good, were seldom up to date as to sources or new works. (another source of such info were libertarian magazines, but again, if you didn't know they existed, or you got involved after their hayday, you missed out. The only libertarain mag I've subscribed to from day one has been Reason. When I learned of Liberty (long after it started), I got that as well. But I missed out on Inquiry, Libertarian Forum, the various Objectivist mags, etc).

LFB says the changing bookmarket is what's killing them. I think they need to transform. Stop being a bookstore/catalog. Be a virtual bookstore. Have your list of books & reviews, but have the customers then click thru to Amazon (&/or other on-line stores) to purchase the books. If books are out of print, point them to alibris and other sources. Ordering books should not be their 'strength'. Their strength is in the information on what books to get, both old and new. This means that there will need to be recommendations and book reviews of new and upcoming works. Use the revenue generated by the click-thrus to pay for the website and for new reviews.

Another service that LFB has done is their Fox & Wilkes publishing, which published, (many times bringing back) important libertarian works. Keep F&W, but turn it into a print on demand imprint. LvMI is doing something similiar. They have a whole line of classic liberal/libertarian works kept 'in print' via print-on-demand publisher Lulu (which you can order from either Lulu or LvMI store). Making F&W pod, they could also seek out additional works to keep 'in print', as LvMI also seems to do. But be complementary to what others are doing. If, for instance, LvMI is keeping something in print, don't also make it available.

I plan on emailing the above ideas to LFB.

Edited November 8, 2007 by Michael Brown

[Chris Grieb]

All of the above are excellent ideas.

Has there been any more information on the closing.

[Ross Barlow]

I learned many, many things from reading the excellent LFB reviews through the years, as well as building up a decent personal library by ordering their books as I could afford them. They made me aware of what had been written through the ages past as well as in the present. For years, their catalog was one of the happiest things to be received in my mailbox. They will be missed.

-Ross Barlow.

[emb021]

LFB has finally put an announcement about things on their front page, and stated that the ISIL (International Society for Individual Liberty) will be taking over LFB from the Center for Liberatarian Thought.

So LFB should continue.

[Mike Renzulli]

Yes indeedy! I just learned about this myself and am relieved! ISIL to the rescue! Yahoo!!

LFB has finally put an announcement about things on their front page, and stated that the ISIL (International Society for Individual Liberty) will be taking over LFB from the Center for Liberatarian Thought.

So LFB should continue.