Below is a 30 day reading list that was inspired by Robert Wenzel’s list, but with my own recommendations. This was intended as sort of an “essay a day” plan scattered with libertarian and economic subjects. Here’s the catch though: Some of these are much longer (up to 60 pages) than Wenzel’s list. So you might either have to break up certain days (and so not quite squeeze it into 30 days) or choose the longer ones for a day where you have more time. Basically, no one is going to know if you go slower than one of these per day, which might be a bit ambitious if you, you know, have a life and all. But calling this a “30 day reading plan” sounds better than saying “here’s 30 articles, read at your convenience.”
Wenzel’s own statement is a nice introduction:
The list below will not make anyone a scholar in libertarianism or an expert in Austrian Economics, it is designed to introduce to the busy individual the essence of libertarianism. There are 30 articles listed below. If one reads one article, slowly and carefully, per day, by the end of 30 days one should have a very strong grasp of libertarian principles and a basic understanding of Austrian economics. The list contains articles on a variety of topics, but does not cover all possible libertarian topics. More than anything it provides an overview of libertarianism and how libertarians think about issues of the day. The completion of the 30 days of reading should not be considered an ending point but rather the start of the beginning of more detailed study.
30 Day Reading List:
Day 1: Left, Right, and the Prospects for Liberty by Murray Rothbard
Day 2: What is Austrian Economics? by C.Jay Engel
Day 3: Ludwig von Mises and the Paradigm for Our Age by Murray Rothbard
Day 4: What Libertarianism is by Stephan Kinsella
Day 5: Anatomy of the State by Murray Rothbard
Day 6: Six Myths About Libertarianism by Murray Rothbard
Day 7: Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View by Ron Paul
Day 8: The Task Confronting Libertarians by Henry Hazlitt
Day 9: Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature by Murray Rothbard
Day 10: The Civil Magistrate vs. the State as a Solution to the Problem of Social Order by C.Jay Engel
Day 11: Ten Great Economic Myths by Murray Rothbard
Day 12: What’s Left of the Old Right by Anthony Gregory
Day 13: The Fallacy of the “Public Sector” by Murray Rothbard
Day 14: Understanding the Federal Reserve’s Shell Game by Dan Sanchez
Day 15: Keynes vs. Say by Henry Hazlitt
Day 16: Bourne of War by Wendy McElroy
Day 17: Why Mises (and Not Hayek)? by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Day 18: You Can’t Create More Savings by Printing More Money by Frank Shostak
Day 19: Being Conservative and Libertarian by C.Jay Engel
Day 20: A Realistic Libertarianism by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Day 21: Odyssey of Sound Economics by Dan Sanchez
Day 22: The Myth of Tax “Reform” by Murray Rothbard
Day 23: Repudiating the National Debt by Murray Rothbard
Day 24: Middle of the Road Policy Leads to Socialism by Ludwig von Mises
Day 25: Thick Libertarianism Eviscerated: A Response to Charles Johnson by C.Jay Engel
Day 26: War, Peace, and the State by Murray Rothbard
Day 27: Planning for Freedom by Ludwig von Mises
Day 28: Wall Street, Banks, And American Foreign Policy by Murray Rothbard
Day 29: From the Ancien Regime to the Fabian Socialists and Beyond: the Rise of Statism by C.Jay Engel
Day 30: From Aristocracy to Monarchy to Democracy by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Now that you are done with these, you can get started on the complete list of our book recommendations!