When I discovered in my e-mail an offer of a press copy of Choice, the new anthology from Reason magazine, I responded initially with laughter. I've had the good fortune to benefit from the confusion surrounding a new media; I am a blogger. Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie is reaching out to weblogs for publicity and incidentally providing copies to bloggers like me whose site traffic hardly warrants the expense for postage. Innovative tactics in the face of new opportunity, however, are no surprise from the purveyors of a political magazine remarkable for its originality. Choice celebrates the creative power of competitive markets and independent thinking and its marketing strategy reflects this conviction that it is always worth trying new things.

Its contributors offer a fiscally conservative and socially liberal point of view which, rather less paradoxically than it sounds, recalls the motto often used to summarize libertarianism: "We're pro-choice on everything." It may not be readily apparent to those who believe that the Democratic or Republican parties assume their policy stances from coherent principles, but social freedoms and economic freedoms, Reason argues, are inextricably linked.

Choice's thirty pieces span more than a decade of controversial issues and figures from the limits of intellectual property rights to Martha Stewart to the funniest Dave Barry interview in print. In addition to the libertarian perspective offered in each article, there is an element present in Reason's collection which is oddly unfamiliar to the reader of political journalism: ground-up argumentation. With no broad partisan audience, Reason has never had the luxury of assuming agreement from anyone. In an introduction by journalist Christopher Hitchens, the noted radical praises a volume containing an article by former Reason editor and current New York Times "Economic Scene" columnist Virginia Postrel on the post-socialist political landscape. The tradition of integrity and rigor that Hitchens appreciates in Reason's writing continues to demand the serious attention of even those who often find themselves at odds with its conclusions.

Reason prides itself on this unique appeal, citing such unlikely fans as conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and ACLU president Nadine Strossen. Accepting that readers will have various ideas of what constitutes a political good, stories tend to include both an economic and moral angle. The result hits opponents where it hurts: for example, rather than emphasizing the humanitarian justifications for liberalizing immigration policy, Glenn Garvin counters familiar claims that immigration is a drain on the economy. Similarly, Charles Paul Freund's "In Praise of Vulgarity" defends the trend of globalization, not by citing its potential for wealth creation, but by providing examples of its tremendous power to challenge social restraints and empower the oppressed.

Let it not be said, however, that the fight for liberty must be devoid of fun. The often-dry wit of Reason's regular contributors is offset by interviews with the occasionally off-color comedian Drew Carey and the humor columnist Dave Barry. Barry would probably insist that the governmental excesses he ridicules are funny enough on their own, but the Beltway just doesn't see the hilarity of hearings held against hate or the strategic helium reserve.

Choice is certainly not a hodgepodge of liberal and conservative views or articles that could have been pulled half from National Review and half from American Prospect. If the political spectrum were truly one-dimensional that might be the case, but one of Reason's most attractive points is that it highlights the second dimension of politics. Reason allies itself with the "Left" or the "Right" only when their positions fall favorably on the other axis, away from governmental control and toward choice. Those with strong libertarian sympathies, however, will gain no less from this book and its unconventional thinking. Whether defending biotechnology or attacking the War on Drugs, Reason attacks issues with an eye to economics, an emphasis on civil liberties and a keen attention to what has not been tried before. Whatever your disposition, Choice has an argument you have not heard before.

BHI intern Carina Cilluffo studies Biological Anthropology at Boston University and maintains the weblog, An Inclination to Criticize (http://www.inclinedtocriticize.blogdrive.com).