'The Law' is at once a logical and wonderfully concise introduction to libertarian philosophy, and a strident call for 'small government'. Frederic Bastian's classic, written in 1850, defines the law as "collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense."and then shows how this same law has been perverted, "annihilating the justice that it was supposed to maintain, aiding] the unscrupulous who wish, without risk, to exploit the liberty and property of others. Given the prevalence of governmental intervention in the developed world, Frederic Bastian's analysis is as relevant today as it was 160 years ago, a must-read for all wishing to see behind the rhetoric into the heart of today's global problems.