The Reading Room

When one lets drip a drop of water into a placid lake, what happens? Circles ripple from the origin. What then is the drop of water, exactly? Is it the water which drops into and merges with the larger body of water, or is it the… more

“Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet’s being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still… more

April’s OLL Birthday Essay is in honor of the English stockbroker, political economist, and parliamentarian David Ricardo.  During his relatively short life, Ricardo made contributions to the field of economics that were, and… more

Richard Cobden reminds us that the cause of free trade is not one of bloodless economics, but of improvement, prosperity, and peace. 

March’s OLL birthday essay is in honor of the great Jewish rabbi, legal scholar, philosopher, community leader, and physician Moses ben Maimon, better known by the Hellenized version of his name, Maimonides.  In Hebrew he is… more

In both poetry and prose Walt Whitman envisions an America in which men and women are seen as equals. In an early draft (1847) of Leaves of Grass he wrote, “I am the poet of women as well as men / The woman is not less than the man.… more

Setting: Present-day Notre Dame Cathedral. It is nightfall.

The great, long-silent bells toll, their resonant voices echoing across the Paris sky. Now, a lone figure moves among the towering spires, the freshly restored stonework,… more

February’s OLL Birthday essay is dedicated to Anthony Ashley Cooper, better known to history as the Third Earl of Shaftesbury, or sometimes just Shaftesbury. He was an important statesman and Whig politician during the turbulent… more

While one idly day-dreams, one frequently imagines how the world and all within it might be different. What if the clouds were red? What if I won a million dollars, tax-free? What if I did not have to wake up at 5 a.m. during the… more

In November, Liberty Fund hosted a virtual reading group on Eric Hoffer's short book, The True Believer. 

One topic of discussion was Hoffer's conservatism, which is implicit to his theories of mass movements. One place it’s… more

The Great Gatsby ends on a sad note. The book's namesake, Gatsby, lies dead in a pool. He experiences a second death when his funeral is sparsely attended. The house that was so full when he was alive lies empty in his death. George… more