Earlier this week, we spoke to Howard Mansfield, author of the recently-published book “The Habit of Turning the World Upside Down – Our Belief in Property and the Cost of That Belief.”

His book is about property, property rights, and how these ideas are processed by the American psyche. But instead of the usual scholarly (and very often dry) treatment of these topics that we might expect – especially those of us in the legal and academic world – Mr. Mansfield takes a slightly different approach. He relates stories of how property fits in with the culture – the different and often competing narratives that are attached to the notion of property – and the often-contradictory way in which we in the United States view the idea of ownership and possession.

Listen to our interview above (Sound Cloud stream), or if that does not work for you, stream it below or simply download the mp3 here.

A great read, and a perfect gift for those on your holiday lists.