The free man's library: a descriptive and critical bibliography

About this book

"The free man's library" by Henry Hazlitt is a descriptive and critical bibliography written in the mid-20th century. It surveys and evaluates key works on individualism and classical liberalism—free trade, free markets, limited and decentralized government, and civil liberties—while critiquing socialism, collectivism, and totalitarian trends.

The opening of the volume defines individualism broadly—encompassing economic freedom alongside freedom of worship, speech, and thought—and argues that modern “liberals” often dismiss economic liberty, enabling a drift toward centralized power. The author lays out selection principles (“on net balance” pro-liberty), acknowledges using other critics’ judgments, generally excludes pamphlets (with a few vital exceptions), and decides to include major anti-communist works even when they rest on socialist premises, warning readers about those assumptions. He presents two “ten best” lists (historic classics and contemporary titles), suggests short and extended starter courses, and maintains that, in current conditions, intelligent conservatism substantially overlaps authentic liberalism. Practical notes on acknowledgments, arrangement, and abbreviations follow, then a historical survey tracing individualism from Locke through Smith, Bentham, Mill, and the Manchester School—set against Fabian and collectivist currents—before the annotated bibliography proper begins with entries such as Lord Acton.