by Jacob G. Hornberger

August 28, 2026

I am pleased to announce the publication of The Future of Freedom Foundation’s newest book, which is undoubtedly the finest book we have published in our 36-year history. It is entitled Liberty and the History of Economic Ideas: From the Ancients to the Austrian Economists by Richard Ebeling.

Richard is my co-host of the Libertarian Angle and a longtime regular contributor to our monthly journal Future of Freedom. Indeed, he helped me put FFF together in 1989 and became FFF’s vice-president of academic affairs while serving as the Ludwig von Mises Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College. Richard later went on to become president of The Foundation for Economic Education. He currently is a professor of economics at The Citadel.

When I first met Richard in Dallas in the 1980s, Sam Bostaph, who headed the economics department at the University of Dallas, where Richard was teaching, described him as the person who knew more about Austrian economics than anyone else in my generation.

In fact, it was Sam who instilled in me a love of the subject of the history of economic thought. I was practicing law at the time and contacted Sam to ask him to give me a tutorial in Austrian economics. After reviewing my reading list, he said, “We need to start with a chapter-by-chapter analysis of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, work our way up to the classical economists, and then reach Austrian economics.”

I was hooked. I went to the SMU library and began searching out and reading every book on the history of economic thought I could find. Since then, I have read many histories of economic thought. I know I’m biased, but Richard’s book is the best one I have ever read.

I know most of you are strong adherents of the Austrian school of economic thought. But there is something very satisfying in placing the Austrian school in the context of the overall development of economic thought. Richard’s book does that magnificently.

What makes Richard’s history of economic thought so compelling is that it’s not just a dry historical review of the development of economic concepts. Richard brings his libertarian perspective to bear as he analyzes the historical development of economic principles. Notice the first word in the title of his book: “Liberty.” This is what makes this book so great—it’s not only an account of the historical development of economic ideas but one also steeped in the concept of liberty.

Richard has been working on this book for several years. It’s a long book—almost 800 pages. I’m sure you’ll be glad that you have added it to your personal library and to your store of knowledge. As an aside, it also would make an absolutely perfect Christmas gift! I guarantee you will love this book and that you will learn a lot from it. Buy it today at Amazon.