A fresh legal argument on what it means to own land, navigating issues of eminent domain, sprawl, and conservation Recent Supreme Court cases and clashes between conservationists and private-property-rights advocates have stimulated countless lawsuits and ballot initiatives, yet many people are unsure what to think. In On Private Property, Eric Freyfogle explores this critical issue, recounting the surprising history of private landownership, probing its complex links to liberty, and ultimately showing why a new understanding is needed if private property is to fulfill its key functions. He concludes with a provocative new vision of landownership, at once respectful of private interests, responsive to communal needs, and tailored to today's realities. With this important book, conversations about landowner responsibility can finally move beyond bumper-sticker debates.

A fresh legal argument on what it means to own land, navigating issues of eminent domain, sprawl, and conservation Recent Supreme Court cases and clashes between conservationists and private-property-rights advocates have stimulated countless lawsuits and ballot initiatives, yet many people are unsure what to think. In On Private Property, Eric Freyfogle explores this critical issue, recounting the surprising history of private landownership, probing its complex links to liberty, and ultimately showing why a new understanding is needed if private property is to fulfill its key functions. He concludes with a provocative new vision of landownership, at once respectful of private interests, responsive to communal needs, and tailored to today's realities. With this important book, conversations about landowner responsibility can finally move beyond bumper-sticker debates.