In Castles in the Air, Leonard Read discusses the idealistic foundations of the United States and how those foundations are crumbling right before the eyes of the people. Read addresses topics such as social order, the tendency for individuals to thrive and create in a free environment, entrepreneurship, and many others. The title derives its name from a Thoreau quote regarding human ideals: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” Leonard Read explores the necessary foundations for these castles of human innovation to last.
Leonard E. Read was the founder of the Foundation for Economic Education — the first modern libertarian think tank in the United States — and was largely responsible for the revival of the liberal tradition in post–World War II America.
The Foundation for Economic Education, New York, 1975
