LIBERTARIAN MICROFICHE PUBLISHING, LMP, 1977-99
by John Zube, July 1999 edition.
This website comes to a total of over 2100 pages in Word 97 and in htm to close to 5 MBs. The total offer of LMP texts comes now to ca. 500,000 pages. LMP does not claim copyrights for its own material and asks copyrights holders only for non-exclusive and revocable permission to reproduce their material on LMP microfiche.
Note that LMP tries to promote not only libertarian (panarchist, anarchist, free market, laissez faire) self-publishing and reading on microfiche but as well the use of all other powerful and affordable alternative media like, e.g., floppy disks and CD-ROMs, which are so far under-utilized by freedom lovers, whether students or scholars of liberty, peace and justice. However other libertarians and anarchists may have perceived their micrographic (microfilm) freedom of expression and information options so far, LMP holds that for its purposes it found microfiche to be the easiest, cheapest, most reliable, most permanent and sufficiently powerful and fast enough alternative medium, in production as well as transmission. The use of PCs and software by LMP has added huge costs and troubles, waste of labour and time, as well as delays but also SOME conveniences and labour savings. Whether an LMP website will become sufficiently helpful to LMP remains to be seen and depends more upon you than me.
The freedom struggle has gone on so long, there are still so many texts to be published or reprinted and reading is so time-consuming and most readers have such a back-log already waiting for them that a few days of delay for accessing LMP microfiche via economy airmail do hardly matter in most cases. But all should become accessible, in at least one affordable medium, within a few days!
With as simple, affordable and reliable medium as microfiche as few as 100 – 300 libertarian activists like myself (more if they are less active) could, between them, achieve COMPLETE AND PERMANENT LIBERTARIAN PUBLISHING, upon demand. The consequences of this could be immense. Perhaps never before could so few do so much for so many and this with so little difficulties, outlay and risk per libertarian text reproduced.
LMP seeks such competitors and cooperators. But they should be aware that this is not a scheme for getting rich, in the short run, except in information. The immediate and intermediate profit would, most likely, consist largely only in getting many more freedom texts in an affordable and easy format, e.g. via swaps of such publications between such activists and in being able to provide them upon demand.
LMP is still and largely only a pilot scheme to demonstrate what one person, with a small income can do with this medium over a long period. Are there many individuals who have produced more and longer freedom texts, more cheaply and more permanently than LMP has, over a similar period?
Should we rather leave most libertarian writings unpublished, out of print and untranslated than resort to such an easy and affordable medium as microfiche are? Even electronic media will not lead us with electronic speed towards the realization of all freedom options to all those who desire them. Completeness, cheapness, ease and permanency of libertarian publishing is more important than electronic transmission speed for SOME libertarian texts.
We should no more rely on electronic media only than we could rely on print on paper, audio and video tapes, radio and television or on lectures, seminars and conferences to make our case sufficiently known or accessible. Instead, we should optimally utilize all affordable alternative media, each in their particular strength.
LMP microfiche, each containing 98 – 1350 pages, reduced 24-48 times, mostly 29x, still cost only $ 1 each in cash. US $ for overseas orders. $2 each for non-cash payments or 2 IRCs (International Reply Coupons) each. Small cheques are not acceptable. Larger ones must be made out to John Zube, not to LMP. Information kit: $5. When ordering less than 10 LMP microfiche do add $ 1 for postage.
PIOT (Panarchy In Our Times, largely through optimal use of micrographics),
John Zube, July 10, 1999.”>John Zube, July 10, 1999.
