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Check out my column from last Monday, it begins: When "The Hobbit" came out in theaters, I decided to read the book instead of seeing the film adaptation. In fact, I decided to start with The Hobbit and continue on through The Lord of the Rings. As of this writing, I've completed The Hobbit and Books I through IV of the Rings. I am enjoying the books much more than I enjoyed the movies. The differences between the two are staggering. I highly recommend reading the books. They're much more colorful. The movies put me to sleep, originally. But what I really wanted to write about was a parallel I've noticed between Frodo's burden and my own.

My column this week is on control and war, it begins : War is clearly destructive. Even war fought totally in self-defense is destructive; destructive to life, liberty, and property. Murray Rothbard wrote an excellent analysis of war titled "War, Peace, and the State". I highly recommend reading it. As a voluntaryist, I oppose war on philosophical, ethical, spiritual, and economic grounds. The question I'd like to examine here, however, is "when does war begin?" And I think the answer is "when you attempt to forcibly control someone else without their permission." If so, what are the implications of that?

My latest column . It begins: What would life be like without discovery? From the moment we are born, discovery plays a vital role in our development as human beings. We discover our limbs and how they function. We discover our strength and how to wield it. We discover movement, communication, and relationships. I firmly believe that discovery is as important to our survival as is food, water, and protection from the elements. As we age, if we are not continually engaged in discovery, how happy can we really be? How content can we be in life?

As of the end of January 2013, 135 libertarian and economics books have been made available in large print at LargePrintLiberty.com . LPL ended the month of December 2012 with 133 offerings. Through the end of January, 400 books sold in the US, Europe, and Great Britain. Murray Rothbard's  For a New Liberty   sold the most at 82 copies; followed by Albert Jay Nock's  Our Enemy, the State  at 35 copies, and Carl Menger's Principles of Economics  at 30 copies. Of the 400 books that have sold, 313 copies went to the US (dollars), 35 copies went to Great Britain (pounds), and 52 copies went to mainland Europe (euros, my best month for euros). My progress on the Journal of Libertarian Studies continues (slowly at the moment). I've made available 11 volumes in large print. I will not be making available regular print as per the agreement with my printer.