My book has a cover

It’s always exciting when a book that began as a jumble of confusion inside your own head takes its first steps toward becoming a physical object in the real world. So I’m happy to share a couple of milestones reached: The Permanent Problem now has a cover and an official publication date. Here’s the cover, featuring Caspar David Friedrich’s wanderer staring off into the post-industrial fog. And the official publication date is now set for January 5, 2026, which means that both print and electronic copies should be available in December. The long lead times for book publishing are agonizing for authors, but at least the clock is now running. Here are the Oxford University Press and Amazon book pages — it’s already available for pre-order.

Because of the long lead times, there’s always the fear that something is going to happen while you’re waiting that renders your book completely irrelevant to the moment. (I knew somebody whose book come out the week after 9/11, and it wasn’t about terrorism. R.I.P.) In the present case, however, we would need a sustained run of unexpectedly wonderful economic, political, and cultural news — so I think I’m safe.

Indeed, this book is now operating as a kind of personal emotional hedge against the news. When the 2024 election didn’t go the way I wanted, I could console myself that at least I picked the right time to come out with a book arguing that we are in the midst of a civilizational crisis. And now, in the wake of all the “Liberation Day” insanity, I see a further bright side: this is also the right time to come out with a book that urges greater self-sufficiency at the local level—and thus reduced vulnerability to external supply shocks.

Of course, I hope that my book offers broader consolations to its readers: first, a clearer understanding of the deep structural factors that have brought us to this pass; and second, renewed hope that a brighter future remains possible. Hang on till the end of the year!