My most recent Amazon order just arrived. You see, I just finished volume 15 in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series and could hardly go long without the 16th novel. [Note: gratuitous Patrick O'Brian plugs are among the self-indulgences I grant on this blog, along with impertinent discussions of fly-fishing and baseball. Plus, with this guy playing Jack Aubrey in the movie, my wife finally sees some merit in those "sea novels" I so delight in.]

In any event, along with the Wine Dark Sea, I picked up Economic Forces at Work by Armen Alchian. Alchian is an economist whom I've never read, but his work is held in such esteem that I figured I should read up on him. Once the book arrived, I recognized the style and print as that of the The Liberty Fund (finally, the point of the headline reached!).

I don't know anyone at The Liberty Fund, and just looked up its mission on the website, but its publishing is indispensable, not to mention a burgeoning part of my library. The fund publishes important liberty-minded philosophers, economists and historians, and that is just a terrific benefit to society. Among other authors, the Fund keeps Michael Oakeshott's writing available in this country. For self-styled conservatives, Oakeshott has much to teach and, I think, is offers the right disposition for a conservative in a post-modern age. [If anyone is game to start a pretentious blog-conversation on and Oakeshott/Hume-an conservatism counterposed to a Natural Law-based conservatism, let's get started!]

The meandering point to this post is to simply praise the work of The Liberty Fund, and to thank them effusively for keeping so many great writers' thoughts available.