In November, ISIL acquired ownership of Laissez Faire Books – long the top libertarian bookseller and definitely an iconic
institution in the libertarian movement.
Many of you will remember that from 1990 to 1997, ISIL operated Freedom's Forum Bookstore on Market Street in San Francisco, and
produced mail-order catalog sections in the Freedom Network News – so the book business is not new to us. We know the ropes pretty well and are prepared
for the challenges of operating in this unique niche market.
And to add further experience to our reorganization of Laissez Faire Books, we have brought in veteran libertarian bookseller Jim Peron,
who in fact ran the Market Street store for five years before we did. Jim later operated successful bookstores in South Africa and New Zealand. Jim has also published
numerous books over the years through Cobden Press. He is also a top expert on collectible libertarian-oriented books.
Why take over Laissez Faire Books, one might ask? It has large, high-quality e-mail and print-mail lists of proven libertarian book
buyers. It will also be valuable for promoting ISIL memberships, publishing projects, as well as our international conferences.
Laissez Faire Books is a strong brand name all around the movement, and now that it is being associated with an active educational and
outreach organization like ISIL, we can emphasize that LFB purchases support a cause and concrete projects, not just a business.
Finally, our strategy with the new Laissez Faire Books and Cobden Press will be to publish as many offerings as possible. We have a
number of brand-new titles in the works, and will be publishing reprints of out-of-print classics. Many of the new Laissez Faire titles will be exclusive to LFB.
We will not be doing frequent mass mailings of big, expensive catalogs. The new LFB will be primarily an on-line operation, with
occasional updates in the Freedom Network News. An interim pdf catalog may be viewed at www.lfb.org
Also please check out Laissez Faire Books Notes and News blog
for commentary and news on current offerings.
To get on the Book Notes list, sign up at the bottom of this page. You may also call toll-free with order queries at 1-800-326-0996, or contact the ISIL office numbers.
International Society for Individual Liberty
> ISIL Takes Over Laissez Faire Books
