Eamonn Butler is director of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading policy think tank. He has degrees in economics and psychology, a PhD in philosophy, and an honorary Doctor of Letters. In the 1970s he worked in Washington for the US House of Representatives, and taught philosophy at Hillsdale College, Michigan, before returning to the UK to help found the Adam Smith Institute. He is a former winner of the UK's National Free Enterprise Award.

This primer aims to provide a straightforward introduction to the principles, personalities and key developments in classical liberalism. It is designed for students and lay readers who may understand the general concepts of social, political and economic freedom, but who would like a systematic presentation of its essential elements.