L.A. Rollins – Nine-Banded Books

Outlaw History

NBBDev — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 19:27:20 +0000

4.25 x 7 | 292 pages | Softcover

Best known as an underground satirist (Lucifer’s Lexicon) and an irreverent critic of bien-pensant libertarianism (The Myth of Natural Rights), L.A. Rollins [1948–2015] was also an unruly exponent of historical revisionism who courted reprisal for his skeptical interrogations of canonical World War II and Holocaust historiography. Drawn from a variety of marginal sources dating from the mid-1980s, the essays and book reviews in Outlaw History provide contemporary readers with a time-capsule showcase of Rollins’ scathing and scrupulous approach to dissident history—both as a nominal practitioner of revisionism and, inevitably, as a skeptic of revisionist dogma. If these texts are as “problematic” now as when they were written, they also offer insight into a mode of unfettered freethinking that has since been expunged from intellectual discourse. To invoke a popular expression, L.A. Rollins “went there.” And he didn’t care. Outlaw History is the third volume in the “The Portable L.A. Rollins” pocket paperback series co-published by Nine-Banded Books and Underworld Amusements. It features an introduction by the erudite revisionist and conspiracy researcher Michael A. Hoffman II and a prolegomenon by Chip Smith of Nine-Banded Books.

The Myth of Natural Rights: Expanded & Revised

NBBDev — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 18:23:52 +0000

By L.A. Rollins; Preface by Kevin I. Slaughter; Introduction by TGGP 4.25 x 7 | 206 pages George H. Smith once described The Myth of Natural Rights as “a scathing, all-out attack.” This was not hyperbole. First published in 1983 by Loompanics Unlimited, L.A. Rollins’ incisive monograph sought not merely to dethrone the doctrine of natural law that had come to dominate libertarian discourse, but to upend the very foundations of moral philosophy. Describing himself as an “amoralist” and an “egoist of sorts,” Rollins echoed Stirner alone in his insouciant refusal to genuflect before the pieties of intellectual fashion. While few readers would embrace Rollins’ intractable moral skepticism, his short book struck a powerful chord. As the text was discussed in marginal periodicals, it gathered an almost scandalous aura, eliciting both approbation and excoriation for its lacerating critique of natural rights theory—particularly as exposited by such libertarian luminaries as Murray Rothbard, Tibor Machan and Ayn Rand. In 1985, The Myth of Natural Rights would become a central exhibit in a spirited debate that spanned several issues of Samuel Konkin’s New Libertarian magazine. The forum included contributions by Robert LeFevre, Murray Rothbard, Sidney E. Parker and Robert Anton Wilson, along with a reply by L.A. Rollins himself. Although Rollins’ engagement with the libertarian cognoscenti would soon come to an end, the dam had broken. This definitive reissue features a new publishers preface and has been supplemented to include all of the relevant essays that originally appeared in New Libertarian, along with extant commentaries and rejoinders by L.A. Rollins.

Table of Contents 2019 Publisher’s Preface Kevin I. Slaughter 2008 Publisher’s Preface Chip Smith 2008 Introduction TGGP The Myth of Natural Rights New Libertarian Debates Author’s Note Natural Outlaws vs Natural Lawmen Samuel Edward Konkin III Libertarians: Natural Outlaws, Natural Bastards Jeff Riggenbach On the Duty of Natural Outlaws to Shut Up Murray N. Rothbard Roughing-Up Rights George H. Smith A Letter Sidney E. Parker Natural Law Robert Anton Wilson Natural Rights! Robert LeFevre Kranky Notions Jeff Riggenbach A Reply to My Reviewers Instead of an Afterword Acknowledgements Recommended Reading Cover Gallery

Lucifer’s Lexicon: Expanded & Revised

NBBDev — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 23:42:41 +0000

4.5 x 7 | 206 pages Inspired by Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary, L.A. Rollins first unsheathed his lexicographer’s lance in the pages of marginal political periodicals during the mid-1980s. At a time when objectivist orthodoxy and Cold War political theater dominated libertarian discourse, Rollins’ distinctive brand of irreverent irony stood out. He skewered shibboleths and dethroned dogmas from all quarters, and his trenchant jeu de mots made a lasting impression in the minds of many readers. In 1987, Loompanics Unlimited released the first edition of Lucifer’s Lexicon, a freewheeling compilation of Rollins’ satirical definitions – including content deemed too inflammatory for less adventurous publishers. Though the book would become a cult classic, Rollins’ contrarian take on certain closely guarded historical and religious taboos chafed the sensibilities of some gatekeepers. Following its release, Rollins – who had previously courted controversy for his incisive critique of natural rights theory – was marked a pariah. The present edition is the first in a series of portable paperbacks being published by Nine-Banded Books and Underworld Amusements to chronicle the work of L.A. Rollins. With slight revision, it incorporates the “canonical” Loompanics text, now extensively supplemented to include never-before-published material that Rollins produced until his death in 2015. It is presented with a new introduction by Attack the System editor, MRDA, and a publisher’s preface. Laced with caustic wit, nimble wordplay, and surefooted erudition, Lucifer’s Lexicon stands as a testament to L.A. Rollins’ enduring stature as an ingenious underground satirist and equal-opportunity iconoclast. __________ 01/05/2019 Update Following a bit of scuffle with our distribution plan, Lucifer’s Lexicon is now available. If you ordered a copy from Nine-Banded Books before the new year you should have it by now. Below are links to other places where you can get the book: Underworld Amusements Quimby’s (in Chicago) Amazon (U.S.A.) Amazon (U.K.)

The Myth of Natural Rights and Other Essays

NBBDev — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 22:01:59 +0000

No, it won’t stop bullets. It won’t keep people from ripping off your property. It won’t even stop the government from putting you in a concentration camp, or executing you. About the only thing a “natural right” will stop is enlightened thinking on the ethics of liberty. Once you’ve read The Myth of Natural Rights and Other Essays, you’ll be able to put those imaginary protectors of freedom back in the museums where they belong. Libertarian scholars have had a difficult time being taken seriously in intellectual circles. There’s a good reason for this. While they have gained recognition and acclaim for their staunch defense of the free market, compelling advocacy of civil liberties and devastating condemnation of interventionism, their stubborn reliance on the ancient myth of natural rights leaves them in philosophical disrepute. The doctrine of natural rights has persisted among libertarians, because there has never been a systematic and thorough critique of all it implies. Until now. In one compact work, L.A. Rollins shatters the myth of natural rights, while exposing the “bleeding-heart libertarians” that promote it. With careful research and ample documentation, he shows that thinkers like Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Tibor Machan and Samuel Konkin not only violate reason and logic in their defense of natural rights, but also violate the standards they set for themselves. Back in print for the first time in years, this newly revised edition features an insightful introduction by the Stirnerite-libertarian blogger, TGGP, along with a new afterword by the author. Bonus material includes an updated selection of splenetic jeu de mots from the underground classic, Lucifer’s Lexicon, as well as Rollins’ never-before-published writings on poetic insurrection, the Holy Qur’an and Holocaust revisionism.