Blockade: The Science and Ethics of Trade
New Boudreaux/Caplan/Weinersmith collaboration coming in Fall 2027
Happy New Year from Lima, Peru! While I’m on the road, let me tell you about my latest big project.
I’ve now written two non-fiction graphic novels. Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration, illustrated by Zach Weinersmith, was a New York Times Bestseller. The second, Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation, illustrated by Ady Branzei, was nominated for the Hayek Prize, and helped me land a high-profile companion essay in the New York Times. While I was finishing Unbeatable, I kept pondering other economic issues in need of graphic novelization. When Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs cost humanity trillions of dollars (and me hundreds of thousands of dollars) last April, I suddenly realized which issue needed me most: protection or free trade?
As soon as I had this idea, I also realized that I needed to team up with a top expert on the issue. I immediately thought of my colleague, friend, and arguably the world’s leading expositor of free trade, Don Boudreaux. Truly, his habitual letters to the editor have taught me more about the nature of trade deficits and modern American economic history than all my coursework at Princeton. And to my delight, Don accepted my offer almost instantly.
At this point, I began hunting for an artist. I started with the great Zach Weinersmith, and he too jumped on board almost instantly. Since the Cato Institute had already graciously offered to run a whole series of my non-fiction graphic novels, the project was ready to start moving forward at my version of Warp Speed.
Upshot: You can expect to have Blockade: The Science and Ethics of Trade in your hands by Fall of 2027. Sorry it won’t be sooner, but as always, I’m taking the time to craft what I hope to be a timeless work of supreme erudition and beauty.
Here’s the tentative Table of Contents. Please share non-obvious topics you’d like the book to cover in the comments. And if there’s any Weinersmith imagery you’re dying to see, please share your vision.
Blockade: The Science and Ethics of Trade
Chapter 1: I’ll Trade You For It
Chapter 2: The Hollowness of Hollowing Out
Chapter 3: A Deficit of Understanding
Chapter 4: The Dream of Strategic Trade
Chapter 5: Pax Commercial
Chapter 6: Progress and Its Discontents
Chapter 7: Visualize Free Trade
It would be wonderful if you could add a section on effect of free trade/trump tariffs on developing countries.
Happy New Year, sir!