Ron Manners’ ideas 
and adventures

New release · The authorised biography

Heroic Humility

Ron Manners, 90 Years of Life: Red Dirt to Riches

Endorsed by Hugh Morgan AC & Prof. Geoffrey Blainey AC Paperback & Hardcover

A remarkable man, a remarkable life, a remarkable drive to succeed. From a humble Kalgoorlie home to the boardrooms of Australian mining and the front line of the free-market debate, this is the definitive account of how Ron Manners turned setbacks into a life of enterprise, music, family and ideas.

“The life and times of a child from the most humble of homes, displaying an enthusiasm for adventure, music, family, mining and finally, a champion of the greater needs of society.” Hugh Morgan AC
“For anyone who values self-worth, personal responsibility, and the unapologetic pursuit of a better version of themselves, this book is a powerful guide.” Wesley Goh, reader review
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Books by and about Ron Manners

Ninety years of ideas and adventures

The biography, Ron's own memoirs and his collected essays. Start anywhere.

Browse the full bookshop →
Heroic Humility cover

New · Biography

Heroic Humility

by Damon Kitney

The whole life, told by senior business journalist Damon Kitney.

“An influential stirrer of debate” Geoffrey Blainey AC

Paperback$34.99Add
Hardcover$49.99Add
The Impatient Libertarian: Which Road Ahead? cover

Leadership

The Impatient Libertarian

Which Road Ahead? · by Ron Manners AO

Five leaders, five very different roads to success. Which mix of ideas and strategy will get you to yours?

“That next person could be you!” Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

Paperback$29.95Add
Hardcover$44.99Add
The Lonely Libertarian cover

Memoir

The Lonely Libertarian

by Ron Manners AO

Turning ideas into gold, then gold into ideas. Kalgoorlie to Hong Kong to Moscow and back.

“A dazzling book of hope for the future.” Gina Rinehart

Hardcover$49.95Add
Mannerisms cover

Essays

Mannerisms

by Ron Manners AO

35 years of speeches, open letters and articles. A goldmine of experience you can dip into.

Read the eBook free, then keep the paperback on the shelf.

Paperback$29.95Add
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Read the whole story

The biography, plus Ron's own account in his two memoir-style books. Freight per book drops when you order them together.

Heroic Humility The Lonely Libertarian The Impatient Libertarian: Which Road Ahead?
Total for 3 books$114.89
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The Manners family library

Six books, free to read

Three generations of Manners writing, free as eBooks: Ron's memoirs, essays and poems, his grandfather WG Manners' account of the early goldfields, and the story of the family firm's first 100 years in Kalgoorlie.

A perfect way to get to know Ron before you pick up the biography.

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Enjoyed Ron's story? The full biography is Heroic Humility. There are also more free eBooks on liberty and economics.

What readers are saying

From miners, investors and critics

Few people have contributed as much to the advancement of enterprise, economic understanding and opportunity in Australia.
Gina Rinehart AOExecutive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting
Ron's experiences and ideas are a roadmap and warning sign for entrepreneurs and citizens alike.
Steve BaxterEntrepreneur & investor · on The Lonely Libertarian
Ron Manners AO has long been an influential stirrer of debate on economics, education, mineral wealth and other national topics.
Prof. Geoffrey Blainey ACHistorian · on Heroic Humility
It is usually the influence of one person that brings about permanent change for good. That next person could be you!
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Priceon The Impatient Libertarian
The Lonely Libertarian lets us see the world through Manners's eyes, and what a wonderful world it is.
Salvatore BabonesQuadrant Magazine
It is raw without being indulgent, and honest without self-pity.
Wesley GohReader · on Heroic Humility

The Mannwest bookshop

More great authors

Hazlitt, Bastiat, Mises, Ridley, Rinehart, d’Abrera and more, on liberty, enterprise and Australian history.

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Gifts, signed copies & bulk orders

Books make the best gifts

For birthdays, Christmas, clients, staff or a whole class of students.

Ron Manners signing a copy of The Impatient Libertarian for Argentina's President Javier Milei
Ron signs a copy of The Impatient Libertarian for Argentina’s President Javier Milei, August 2025.

Signed by Ron

Have Heroic Humility signed by Ron himself, with a personal dedication if you like. A keepsake for anyone who knows Ron or the West Australian mining story.

Ron Manners' signature

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Ron Manners AO

About Ron

Ron Manners AO

Entrepreneur. Author. Searcher.

Ron is the man behind Mannwest. His grandfather, WG Manners, headed west to Kalgoorlie in 1895 to set up a mining engineering business. Ron took the reins at 19, and has carried the family enterprise forward ever since: founding Croesus Mining, establishing the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation to give young Australians a start, and speaking up for free enterprise for more than half a century.

He calls himself a searcher rather than a planner: someone who believes progress comes from curiosity, experiment and action, not grand plans from above. This bookshop brings together his own books and the authors whose ideas he champions.

1936Born in Kalgoorlie
1955Leads the family firm at 19
1985Founds Croesus Mining
1997Establishes Mannkal
The Freeman magazine
The spark. As a teenager Ron found pages of The Freeman used as packing around mining equipment.
Young Ron Manners playing trumpet
1950s. Ron the multi-instrumentalist jazz man.
The Manners family business premises
The family firm. WG Manners & Co, Kalgoorlie.
Exploring in the Goldfields, 1970s
1970s. Out in the field.
Ron with President Javier Milei
2025. A signed copy for Argentina’s President Milei.
Mannkal Future Leaders 2026
2026. Mannkal’s Future Leaders.
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