Conceived in Liberty

By: Murray N. Rothbard

Narrated by: Floy Lilley

The new single-volume edition of Conceived in Liberty is here! After so many years of having to juggle four volumes, the Mises Institute has finally put it all together in a single book. This makes it easier to listen to and makes clearer just what a contribution this book is to the history of libertarian literature.

There's never been a better time to remember the revolutionary and even libertarian roots of the American founding, and there's no better guide to what this means in the narrative of the colonial period than Murray Rothbard. For anyone who thinks of Murray Rothbard as only an economic theorist or political thinker, this giant book is something of a surprise. It is probably his least known treatise. It offers a complete history of the colonial period of American history, a period lost to students today, who are led to believe American history begins with the US Constitution.

Rothbard's ambition was to shed new light on colonial history and show that the struggle for human liberty was the heart and soul of this land from its discovery through the culminating event of the American Revolution. These volumes are a tour de force, enough to establish Rothbard as one of the great American historians.

This book is a detailed narrative history of the struggle between liberty and power, as we might expect, but it is more. Rothbard offers a third alternative to the conventional interpretive devices. Against those on the right who see the American Revolution as a "conservative" event and those on the left who want to invoke it as some sort of protosocialist uprising, Rothbard views this period as a time of accelerating libertarian radicalism. Through this prism, Rothbard illuminates events as never before.

The volumes were brought out in the 1970s, but the odd timing and uneven distribution prevented any kind of large audience. They were beloved only by a few specialists, and sought after by many....

©2011 Ludwig von Mises Institute (P)2008 Ludwig von Mises Institute

well read!!!

The only thing holding me back from getting into this 80 hour read was the mistake that it was read by the regular croaky guy who reads all the other missus stuff; Floy has a great voice that helped me through.
There are so many gems in this book, like the early examples of liberty in the colony and Rothbard's criticism of Franklin and Washington...well worth the investment of time.

a lot of information!

So much to digest here. the origins are fantastic. definitely sheds a new light on George Washington I was not expecting.

Learned more here than 4 yrs of college

It is an easy listen, quite entertaining and never dull. I've gone back and repeated chapters just to help with retention. At 80 hours, it is a tremendous value for just 1 credit. I have no regrets at all about downloading it. I've already talked my brother into purchasing it.

Bad narrator, great book.

Get this book if you’re very interested in American history. Otherwise, don’t. The book offers great economic commentary on American history.

This is what the American revolution was really about

This is the American revolution with the historical facts reinserted. The historian’s narrative of the facts is the first epic radical revolution for freedom against statist power, feudalism, mercantilism, theocracy, slavery in all forms. It was the beginning of the most radical change in how human beings interact with entrenched tyrannical forces of power over the individual.

Narrator sounds like your Mom

Was really looking forward to this comprehensive history but barely got through 49 minutes. The narrator is just one of the worst I have listened to on Audible.

I could do a better job than this and I am not good at it at all.

There was no way I could listen to 80 hours of if.

Such a shame. Why would anyone choose this person?

Great listening while I play golf.<br />

I listened to this while working on projects around my house and while walking 18 holes of golf. I enjoyed it very much. I was surprised by the criticism of Ben Franklin and George Washington. A new perspective.

WOW! AMAZING BOOK!!

BEST BOOK AVAILABLE ON THE AUDIBLE PLATFORM!! LISTENT TO OR READ THIS BOOK!! IF AMERICAN HISTORY INTERESTS YOU OR THE HISTORY OF COERSION vs. FREEDOM PEAKS YOUR EARS, CHECK THIS BOOK OUT!

Great content, okay narrator

Floy speaks clearly but sometimes inserts a pause that throws off the flow of the sentence she is reading. There are times you can hear what sounds like a chair being dragged across the floor and I swear I heard people talking in the background a couple of times.

I think the content is captivating but the pauses and infrequent background noise takes away from it.

Lots of history

Alot of history details in this. Starts before first people land on the north american takes you all the way through the revolution.