Publisher's Notes

• MASTHEAD CHANGES

We are pleased to announce several additions to our masthead. Beginning this month, Don Wood joins our staff as REASON's art director. Wood is responsible for the new look of REASON, developed over the past several months and making its debut with this issue. A libertarian, Wood is a 32-year-old native of California with a B.A. in art from the University of California College of Arts and Crafts. In addition to his REASON duties, Wood is employed as a painter, commercial artist, and free-lance illustrator for various publications.

Also added to our masthead is new contributing editor Edith Efron, who will become a regular Viewpoint contributor. Efron's viewpoint will appear every third month, alternating with the viewpoints of Tibor Machan and Alan Reynolds. Efron's viewpoint replaces that of Murray Rothbard, who continues as a contributing editor. Efron has been a professional writer for over 30 years, and has worked for Time, Life, Look, and the New York Times. Currently a free-lance writer and columnist for TV Guide, she spent much of last year assisting former Treasury Secretary William Simon in preparing a book about political and economic freedom. Efron authored the popular book The News Twisters, followed by How CBS Tried to Kill a Book, and she has recently contributed articles to Barron's, Commentary, The Alternative, and REASON.

Also joining our staff this month are new contributing editors Jim Davidson and Karl T. Pflock. Featured in REASON's Spotlight last December, Davidson is founder and director of the 32,000 member National Taxpayers Union and has published major articles in Playboy, the Washington Post, Penthouse, and Playgirl. His hard-hitting antitax article, "Punch Out the IRS!" in the April 1976 Playboy earned him the magazine's Annual Writing Award for the best new contributor in nonfiction. Davidson has recently been admitted for studies in political philosophy by Oxford University, and he plans to write a major work about the political system and special interest groups.

Karl T. Pflock is a free-lance writer and editor. He is currently on retainer as a senior editor of Arlington House Publishers, serving as their Washington, DC editor. Until recently Pflock was editor of Libertarian Review and was a senior editor at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, which he joined after a five-and-a-half-year stint with the Central Intelligence Agency. Pflock's short stories have appeared in science fiction magazines, and his nonfiction has been published in newspapers and in such magazines as Human Events, The New Guard, Books for Libertarians, and Libertarian Review. His first novel (science fiction, subspecies space opera) is currently in the hands of a major publisher, and he is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America.

Another change this month is the appearance of contributing editor John Hospers as REASON's new movie critic. An active movie-goer, Hospers is professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California and was the Libertarian Party's candidate for president against Richard Nixon in 1972. In addition to his prolific work in the field of philosophy, Hospers is the author of Meaning and Truth in the Arts (now in its sixth printing) and Artistic Expression. He has edited two anthologies and has published many essays on the fine arts, and his articles on art and aesthetics appear in both the Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Encyclopedia Britannica. Retiring from the post of movie critic after some five years, to devote more time to screen writing, Charles Barr will continue to write occasional movie reviews for REASON.

We are also pleased to announce our new Italian correspondent, Riccardo La Conca. La Conca is secretary of the Italian Libertarian Movement ("Movimento Libertario") in Rome, the only existing libertarian group in Italy. Movimento Libertio is broadcasting in Rome through an FM radio station (Radioroma) and is about to publish a libertarian newspaper, Libertarian Alternative ("Alternativa Libertaria"). We shall publish a report from La Conca in a forthcoming issue about the prospects for liberty in Italy.

• KARL BRAY FUND

Prominent tax protestor Karl Bray is undergoing therapy for cancer of the lymphatic system. Bray is 33 years old and was recently featured in a front page article on the tax resistance movement in the April 16 issue of the National Observer. His chances of recovery are good, but he needs help to cover his medical expenses, which are estimated to be $30,000. A fund has been set up for Bray's medical expenses by Hank Hohenstein's church. Contributions and letters may be sent to Church of Moral Ethics, P.O. Box 674, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

• BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The December issue of REASON will feature a special review section on libertarian-oriented books for children, ages 3 to 15. Readers are encouraged to send suggestions for books to be included to our reviewer, John McClaughry. Concord, VT 05824. Publishers are also encouraged to submit review copies.

• CLARIFICATION

The review of Defending the Undefendable that appeared on pp. 26 and 27 of the May issue was a paid advertisement by the publisher, Fleet Press, and not an article, as some readers apparently believed.