How has the idea of liberty developed and evolved over the centuries? What does freedom mean for us today and what do we need to do in order to preserve the freedoms for which generations of men and women fought and even gave their lives?

Liberty is indispensable to flourishing societies the world over. Its story contains multitudes - humanity's eternal struggle with fate, our ancestors' long quest to establish freedom of thought and freedom of religion, the rise of democratic liberties in society at large and the modern fight against authoritarian politics and tyrants everywhere.

In this anthology of essays, leading academics, writers and historians explore what liberty has meant through the ages. They reflect on this great drama of freedom at work and why we so readily suffer to defend liberty when it comes under threat.