The Road to Serfdom, the Definitive Edition

Text and Documents

By: F. A. Hayek, Bruce Caldwell - editor

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

An unimpeachable classic work in political philosophy, intellectual and cultural history, and economics, The Road to Serfdom has inspired and infuriated politicians, scholars, and the public for half a century. Originally published in 1944 - when Eleanor Roosevelt supported the efforts of Stalin, and Albert Einstein subscribed lock, stock, and barrel to the socialist program - The Road to Serfdom was seen as heretical for its passionate warning against the dangers of state control over the means of production. For F. A. Hayek, the collectivist idea of empowering government with increasing economic control would lead not to a utopia but to the horrors of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

First published by the University of Chicago Press on September 18, 1944, The Road to Serfdom garnered immediate, widespread attention. The first printing of 2,000 copies was exhausted instantly, and within six months more than 30,000 books were sold. In April 1945, Reader's Digest published a condensed version of the book, and soon thereafter the Book-of-the-Month Club distributed this edition to more than 600,000 readers. A perennial best seller, the book has sold 400,000 copies in the United States alone and has been translated into more than 20 languages, along the way becoming one of the most important and influential books of the century.

With this new edition, The Road to Serfdom takes its place in the series the Collected Works of F. A. Hayek. The volume includes a foreword by series editor and leading Hayek scholar Bruce Caldwell explaining the book's origins and publishing history and assessing common misinterpretations of Hayek's thought. Caldwell has also standardized and corrected Hayek's references and added helpful new explanatory notes. Supplemented with an appendix of related materials ranging from prepublication reports on the initial manuscript to forewords to earlier editions by John Chamberlain, Milton Friedman, and Hayek himself, this new edition of The Road to Serfdom is the definitive version of Hayek's enduring masterwork.

©2007 Estate of F. A. Hayek (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

fantastic

this was a much easier read than Adam Smith or Ludwig von mises. sadly it is more relevant than ever.

A nessisary to for any classical liberal

A critique of group think and collective thinking that has helped me reload and refresh my arguments for liberty.

A must listen

This book, though written decades ago is still very relevant to what is going on today. It is a must listen because it outlines things that are taking place behind everything you see in the media. The narration is great and the ideas flow well so that it makes difficult topics easy to grasp and understand.

A must-read

Easy to listen to and follow. Should be required reading for basic economic and political literacy.

Must read for today’s American people

For Americans liberty is for granted.
Don’t fall to collectivism..
Collectivism is so easy to find around us.

was more than I expected

was at first this book was hard to get into but it finally worked in and took. wish this was mandatory in schools.

Brilliant analysis!

Great read! Hugely relevant to our times. Anyone with an interest in politics, economics, and social planning would be unwise to ignore it.

much needed read for 2022

Great overall objective perspective on socialism. This book is for anyone with a intellectual curiosity on the issue.

thought provoking

it's a must read for those with an interest in economics economy and government. the background info helps you feel the passion Hayek was trying to express in his words. a sentiment a lot of us feel today.

Impressively relevant

It is astounding how relevant this book is in 2023. As we sit on the brink of WWIII it would be wise to heed it's warnings.