Ayn Rand and the World She Made
Ayn Rand is best known as the author of the perennially bestselling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Altogether, more than 12 million copies of the two novels have been sold in the United States. The books have attracted three generations of readers, shaped the foundation of the Libertarian movement, and influenced White House economic policies throughout the Reagan years and beyond. A passionate advocate of laissez-faire capitalism and individual rights, Rand remains a powerful...
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A New York Times Notable Book A Chicago Tribune Favorite Book of the Year A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the YearAyn Rand’s books have attracted three generations of readers, shaped the Libertarian movement, influenced White House economic policies throughout the Reagan years and beyond, and inspired the Tea Party movement. Yet twenty-eight years after her death, readers know very little about her life. In this seminal biography, Anne C. Heller traces the controversial author’s life from her childhood in Bolshevik Russia to her years as a Hollywood screenwriter, the publication of her blockbuster novels, and the rise and fall of the cult that worshipped her in the 1950s and 1960s. Based on original research in Russia and scores of interviews with Rand’s acquaintances and former acolytes, Ayn Rand and the World She Made is a comprehensive and eye-opening portrait of one of the most significant and improbable figures of the twentieth century. The Barnes & Noble Review When Ayn Rand addressed a meeting of her publisher's sales staff shortly before the appearance of Atlas Shrugged in 1957, one of the salesmen asked her to summarise her philosophy while standing, as Rabbi Hillel had done to explain the Torah, on one leg. She did so: 'Metaphysics: objective reality. Epistemology: reason. Ethics: self-interest. Politics: capitalism.' Anne Heller tells us that the sales staff applauded, and so have many others since. Ayn Rand's books between them regularly sell half a million copies a year, and her influence has reached high places: egregious examples of her fans are Ronald Reagan and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. The latter belonged for many years to her inner circle, and wrote articles for her newsletter The Objectivist. Her influence continues; actress Charlize Theron is said to be planning a television mini-series of Atlas Shrugged, and there is an Ayn Rand Institute which promotes her ideas and books and offers courses on her philosophy.
1 Before the Revolution: 1905-1917 12 Looters: 1917-1925 223 Freedom to Think: 1926-1934 524 We Are Not Like Our Brothers: 1934-1938 815 The Fountainhead: 1936-1941 1076 The Soul of an Individualist: 1939-1942 1237 Money: 1943 1498 Fame: 1943-1946 1619 The Top and the Bottom: 1946-1949 18510 The Means and the End: 1950-1953 21811 The Immovable Mover: 1953-1957 24512 Atlas Shrugged: 1957 27013 The Public Philosopher: 1958-1963 29114 Account Overdrawn: 1962-1967 31715 Either/Or (The Break): 1967-1968 35216 In the Name of the Best Within Us: 1969-1982 383Afterword 411Acknowledgments 415Abbreviation Key 417Notes 419Selected Bibliography 529Permissions Acknowledgments 541Index 543
