Loompanics Unlimited was an American book seller and publisher specializing in nonfiction on generally unconventional or controversial topics. The topics in their title list included drugs, weapons, survivalism, anarchism, sex,

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

, and so on. Many of their titles describe some kind of illicit or extralegal actions, such as ''Counterfeit I.D. Made Easy'' and ''Opium for the Masses'', while others are purely informative, such as ''Uninhabited Ocean Islands'', ''How to Buy Land Cheap'' and ''The Muckraker's Manual'' (recommended by Stewart Brand).

Company history

Loompanics was in business for nearly 30 years. Its publisher and editor was Michael "Mike" Hoy who started Loompanics Unlimited in East Lansing, Michigan, in 1975. In 1982 he moved the business to Port Townsend, Washington, where his friend and fellow publisher R. W. Bradford had earlier relocated. In January 2006, Loompanics announced that it was going out of business, and that it was selling off its inventory. In the spring of 2006,

Paladin Press Paladin Press was a book publishing firm founded in 1970 by Peder Lund and Robert K. Brown. The company published non-fiction books and videos covering a wide range of specialty topics, including personal and financial freedom, survivalism and p ...

announced that it acquired the rights to 40 titles previously published or sold by Loompanics, including the works of

Claire Wolfe Claire Wolfe is a libertarian author and columnist. Some of Wolfe's favored topics are gulching or homesteading, firearms, homeschooling, open source technology, and opposition to national ID and the surveillance state or nanny state. Career a ...

, Eddie the Wire, and other popular Loompanics authors.

Market position

In addition to Loompanics' large annual catalog of all its stock, Loompanics regularly mailed its customers a thinner quarterly supplement featuring a selection of books interspersed with articles about government propaganda and conspiracies, and/or underground resistance. The addressing side of the cover included a World War II American graphic of an eagle carrying a stack of volumes and the slogan, "Our men want books!" Loompanics did not fall into the categories of mainstream

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, or libertarian politics. While Michael Hoy expresses a preference for free markets, he also criticizes libertarians for championing multinational corporations, which he describes in a 2005 article"Why Corporations Are Not People, And The Unsavory Consequences of Pretending That They Are, A Challenge to 'Libertarians'"
by Mike Hoy, 2005 Spring Supplement as being entirely different entities from individuals. Hoy characterizes them as governmental entities, since their

limited liability Limited liability is a legal status in which a person's financial liability is limited to a fixed sum, most commonly the value of a person's investment in a corporation, company or partnership. If a company that provides limited liability to it ...

is the result of government fiat, rather than contractual dealings among individuals. Thus, in some ways, Hoy argues, corporations have more rights than individuals. He also criticized libertarians for brainwashing themselves, stating: Hoy's articles, which systemically lambasted the policies of all major political groups, earned him the wrath of organizations across the political spectrum. Loompanics' FAQ stated that the company's name is a play on words inspired by Hoy's fondness for '' National Lampoon''.

Advertising rejections

According to Gia Cosindas,

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eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

, and

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

refused to allow Loompanics to advertise on their sites, since some of the books' content violates their editorial guidelines. Specifically, Google wrote, "At this time, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain 'the promotion of violence nddrugs or drug paraphernalia.'"

Legacy and aftermath

On May 8, 2006, Loompanics stopped accepting retail orders. Their website encouraged potential customers to contact other publishers, who have had several Loompanics titles transferred to them, or became the new publishers of established Loompanics authors. Last Earth Distro, Last Word Books & Press,

AK Press AK Press is a worker-managed, independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. Operated out of Chico, California, the company is collectively owned. History AK was founded in Stirling, S ...

, Earthlight Books, Eden Press, FS Books, Laissez Faire Books, Lehman's, New Falcon Publications, Privacy Alert Online, Ronin Press, Steve Arnold's Gun Room and Uncle Fester's Books acquired most of Loompanics' back stock. Some titles have been reprinted by

and Delta Press.Loompanics Unlimited is closed
loompanics.com (archived version at archive.org. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

Publications

''Loompanics' Golden Records: Articles & Features from the Best Book Catalog in the World!''
(1993). **Republished by

Microcosm Publishing Microcosm Publishing is an independent publisher and distributor based in Portland, Oregon. Microcosm describes itself as having "a reputation for teaching self-empowerment, showing hidden histories, and fostering creativity through challenging c ...

.
''Loompanics Unlimited'' Catalog
(2003).

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Loompanics Unlimited
a
Museum of the Vistula

An incomplete list of books published by Loompanics Unlimited
at

Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...

AuthorViews video interview with founder Michael Hoy
a
Staunton Media Lab
* Publishing companies established in 1975 Defunct book publishing companies of the United States Defunct companies based in Washington (state) Anarchist publishing companies Companies disestablished in 2006 Companies based in Port Townsend, Washington