by Albert Jay Nock

This collection of seventeen essays reflects Nock's strong belief in individual freedom and responsibility. The title essays was originally published in Harpers. In it, he puts forth the modest proposal that "in addition to our present system of schools, colleges, and universities which are doing first-class work as training schools we ought to have a few educational institutions." The other essays in this collection ponder such topics as how well we are doing in the "pursuit of happiness," earning immortality, the value of useless knowledge, free speech and plain language, and making low people interesting. Nock writes fluid yet barbed prose, and this book contains some of his most engaging and thought-provoking work.