The Ayn Rand Cult

Book Description

Ayn Rand and her philosophical school, Objectivism, have had a considerable influence upon American popular culture, yet the true story of her life and work has yet to be told. In this book, Jeff Walker debunks the cult-like following that developed around the author of the classics Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead--a cult that persists even today.

Customer Reviews:

Deconstructing Rand.......2007-03-31

In the wake of Ayn Rand's death, two of her former acolytes, Nathaniel and Barbara Branden, authored separate accounts detailing the effects of Rand's severe moralism and hypocrisy on their lives.

"Too little, too late" is the verdict that Jeff Walker renders on those books, and with his book "The Ayn Rand Cult" he exposes Ayn Rand and her legacy, "Objectivism" as it should have been exposed long ago.

Walker did extensive interviews with former Objectivists in order to present a comprehensive critique of Rand and her thought. He shows that Objectivism, like subsequent cults like Scientology and est, was authoritarian at the core, and fed on fear and the threat of excommunication.

Walker points out the obvious paradoxes in Rand's life and writing, most notably that her hackneyed fiction's heroes were stilted and similar in style to the chiseled products of Soviet Socialist Realism. which she supposedly abhorred.

Walker also shows that in the context of the times and the literature she grew up with, Rand did not produce anything significantly original, and that she only grudgingly credited her influences. She referred to Nietzsche as "a gifted poet", as if he was only John the Baptist to her Messianic status. It shouldn't be hard for anybody doing a comparative reading of Nietzsche and Rand to figure out who was the real genius.

Full examination is given to the culture of 1920's Business Theory, and the traditions of Jewish culture which were a large part of Rand's influences as well as foundations of the Objectivist movement--- never, of course, fully acknowledged.

Walker's prescription for people who are beguiled by Rand is that they should investigate the classical liberals, like Fredrich Hayek and Ludwig Von Mises, as well as the models that Rand used for her fiction, like Frank Lloyd Wright--people that all had real genius. That is the "trail's end" where disenchanted followers of Rand usually wind up.

Jeff Walker's book is most notable for its thoroughness in putting Ayn Rand and the proto-cult of Objectivism in context. It's a laundry list of reasons for individuals to resist the path of the true believer.

The Ayn Rand Cult........2007-03-29

_The Ayn Rand Cult_ by Jeff Walker is a devastating and brutal examination of the cult-like aspects taken on by the followers of Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand was born in Russia as Alissa Rosenbaum and came to see first-hand some of the horrors of the Soviet state. This led to her extreme reaction in advocating complete laissez-faire capitalism, championing big business and businessmen, and ultimately putting together a philosophical movement rooted in the idea that selfishness is a virtue. However, her movement - called Objectivism - came to take on certain cult-like aspects in which the personality of Ayn Rand became godlike and questioning her system or not toeing the official line in any way was not tolerated. Many of us are familiar with the kind of individuals that make up the legions of Ayn Rand, and they have duly earned their nickname "Randroids". These mindless robots mouth her odious platitudes and do not accept any deviation from her philosophy as officially interpreted. Rand is known for extolling the virtues of "Reason"; however, just as the French Revolutionaries created a cult of Reason only to see the rise of totalitarianism, Rand's own movement has grown to take on certain totalistic tendencies. There is no questioning for the Randroid, but there is endless pontificating on all manner of things, allegedly rooted in one's superior ability to reason. The Randroids have a tendency to come across as very silly people. They are not taken seriously by many sane individuals (nor by professional academics), but they do seem to have some influence over the youth and the popular mind. As the author notes, many are drawn to the writings of Rand in their youth, with their contemptuous and misanthropic view of the vast majority of the human race; however, it is only the overly susceptible who do not outgrow such a stage and move on to bigger and better things. One unfortunate fact is that Rand's philosophy seems to have had some influence on the libertarian movement (which results as an opposition to the excesses of government). However, Rand herself hated libertarians (probably because she viewed them as threats to her superiority and cult of personality). Nevertheless, many libertarians claim to find something of value in her writings. The author makes the distinction between those who adhere strictly to the orthodox form of Objectivism (following Rand and her successor Peikoff) and the neo-Objectivists (those influenced by Objectivism though who do not uniformly toe the Rand-Peikoff line - despised by the orthodox Objectivists).

To begin with, it should be noted that there are problems with this book. While this book remains one of the few to lift the curtain up on the Ayn Rand movement, it nevertheless suffers from certain defects. The book itself is not very well-written (and certain facts presented within may be questionable or debatable). Some of the commentary is excessively petty (although it must be noted that Rand herself was a very petty person). However, a larger problem is that the author's analysis of cults is extremely weak. He quotes the dictionary as his source for understanding cults rather than working out his own analysis. It should also be pointed out that the anti-cult mentality has a tendency to become just as rigid and cult-like as the cult mentality, and thus denouncing a movement as a cult always carries the risk that what one proposes in response becomes cult-like. The author also goes out of his way to defend mainstream American culture, on a point where Rand's opinions may have been largely valid. And, in a particularly stupid final section, the author attempts to write an alternative history of what Ayn Rand could have been. However, despite these difficulties the author is to be commended for showing the ludicrousness of Ayn Rand's followers.

The author makes several important points about Ayn Rand and the way she ran her cult of mindless followers. He notes her sexual escapades (typical of a cult-leader), her influences on such individuals as Nathaniel Branden (a self-help and pro-self esteem guru who was associated with orthodox Objectivism until he had a falling out with Rand over their love affair), Leonard Peikoff (the pathetic high pontiff of orthodox Objectivism following Rand's death, who lives and breathes Ayn Rand and extols the virtues of rugged individualism, yet who himself is incapable of forming his own opinions and has a childish fear of spiders), and Alan Greenspan (the chairman of the Federal Reserve, perhaps a sell-out to Objectivism, or perhaps a true believer seeking to implement the policies of Ayn Rand leading to disastrous consequences). We learn of Ayn Rand's facile views on art - views which must be parroted by all her followers or else they are forever cast out of the movement. We learn of Ayn Rand's odious philosophy of selfishness - embodied in the excesses of the "Me Generation" and the self-help and New Age crazes. (It should be pointed out here also that any philosophy based on "selfishness" cannot really exist in opposition to the state. Afterall, if one is merely "selfish", then the logical conclusion is to put oneself above others, even if that means the necessity of calling down the state in an effort to cripple one's enemies. For example, the economist Othmar Spann, noted this tendency in capitalism to lead to socialism, as soon as it is realize that "selfishness" entails using the full power of the state to achieve one's aims.) We learn of Rand's excessive reliance on psychoanalysis and therapy to build self-esteem. We learn of Rand's hatred for religion and Christianity. We learn of the Randroid's irrational hatred for the philosophy of Kant to the point of demonization. We also learn of Rand's chain smoking habit and her tendency to proclaim the virtues of smoking even after she developed lung cancer. We also learn that neither Rand herself, nor her followers, match up to the image of rugged individualist and self-reliance that they claim. Rand herself benefited from altruism on many occasions. We also learn of Ayn Rand's narcissistic personality, her paranoia, and her inability to countenance even the smallest degree of dissent and disagreement. Perhaps the most interesting sections of this book are devoted to the early influences on Ayn Rand. To begin with, there is the Jewish influence on Rand. In many ways, Rand's philosophy including its atheistic materialism, opposition to Christianity, opposition to government hand-outs, and emphasis on business and intelligence represents a continuation of a large part of the Jewish tradition. Among other things, Randians tend to be zealous supporters of the state of Israel, and in a particularly disgusting series of outbursts, the official Objectivists have advocated the use of nuclear weapons by the United States to defend the state of Israel. However, Rand was also indebted primarily to such philosophers as Nietzsche (with his cult of the Superman), early 1920s business theory with its emphasis on selfishness and Social Darwinism, and certain early libertarian thinkers, especially Isabel Paterson and Rose Wilder Lane (both of whom were far more admirable than Rand in many respects). Finally, the author makes some important comparisons of Rand to other cultists, in particular L. Ron Hubbard and his cult of Scientology. Rand's movement also bears similarities to the movements that sprang up around two other notorious hucksters, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. In many ways, Rand's movement became the mirror image of Stalinism in a capitalist culture. The author also compares Rand's fictional propaganda for capitalism to the "socialist realist" propaganda of the communists.

Ultimately, it must be concluded that many aspects of Rand were particularly silly and her followers are not the free-minded people they proclaim themselves to be. It is ironic to note that those who most loudly proclaim themselves to be perfect rational beings are so often the most prone to intolerance and conflate emotion with reason. This book does a good job in revealing such people for what they really are. Unfortunately, for better or worse, Rand continues to play a role in popular culture and her novels continue to be admired by generally libertarian individuals (despite her explicit disavowal of such people).

One Stop Shopping, at a Price.......2007-02-03

Jeff Walker's 1999 The Ayn Rand Cult is still the only book that discusses the Objectivist movement from Rand on. I agree that it contains too much hearsay and innuendo about the personal lives of some of the people involved, but if you want one stop shopping for all your Randian needs, this is the place to go. Walker discusses Rand's life, her ideas, the Objectivist movement while she was alive, and the movement since her death, including the various schisms and purges.

TARC's best chapter is on Rand's self-proclaimed "intellectual heir" Leonard Peikoff. Peikoff has done quite well repackaging and repeating Rand's work, but virtually nothing to build on Rand's ideas. Noting that Peikoff had a couple papers (one on Plato and one on Aristotle) published in third-tier journals, Walker says wickedly, "his preferred activity . . . is to excoriate the philosophy professors who publish in the first-tier and second-tier journals." And some things never change. It's been eight years since TARC and Peikoff still hasn't done anything to advance the cause of Objectivism intellectually. Peikoff says he is working on books solving the problem of induction and explaining the rise and fall of civilizations, so we'll see.

And the schisms and denunciations haven't stopped either. In the last few years there have been two or three major ones, a host of minor ones, and an ex cathedra statement by Peikoff declaring that if you don't agree with his view of voting, you don't understand Objectivism.

Walker is also quite good on Rand's claim of originality. There is a fascinating discussion of some of the precursors to Rand's idea of the heroic businessman.

Not a bunch of people you'd want to be stuck in a lift with.......2006-11-23

I don't know if Ayn Rand has much profile over here in Europe. I had heard a little about her ideas and the passion with which they are held, and their seeming influence in the US. An interesting read.

This book doesn't really cover Objectivism as a philosophy, but rather the manner of its propagation. Still, any philosophy with an originator and adherents like these shrill, overbearing, self-obsessed, childless horrors is worth avoiding.

Could any other culture than the American one have incubated and given growth space to such an elaborate rationale for grandiose narcissism?

Yep, she was a cult alright. An utter cult.

The Ayn Rand Cult by Jeff Walker.......2006-11-10

The author makes a good argument to support the contention that Ayn Rand and her followers have the hallmarks of a cult. But he makes a poor case against her philosophy. Apart from saying that the ideas are not original (he does not give much evidence of that), he does not show what is wrong with them. I have studied all her works, and I am convinced that they are, for the msot part, brilliant. Many persons have belittled them, but mostly in the form of making fun of her ideas. Their arguments are not convincing. Whether Ayn Rand is one of the greatest intellects of all time is not a foregone conclusion - a discussion would be appropriate to settle that - but her followers have a defensive attitude for her ideas. For example, their, and her, publications never had a "Letters to the Editor" section. This is one way to avoid dissent and counterargument. What are they afraid of? And to insist that a person is not an Objectivist unless so designated by the elite in the Objectivist movement is an insult to any intelligent man. The kind of unity of thought shown by the Objectivists is also suspicious, being such an unnatural thing in any intellectual group, and it smacks of an enforced unity. It is like the Ten Commandments are for religion. They could have been ten suggestions, especially if they were as good as proclaimed. Their merit would have been sufficient to convince people to follow them, without need to command. Objectivism too has a command structure, at least that is the way it is propagated. Given its highly rational arguments, this is indeed a pity.

The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers

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If you want your fiction to change lives, ask Ayn Rand
Those who can - DO - Learn from them
Excellent. Must have.
The missing chapters from "Romanitc Manifesto."
Good Advice to Be Sure...

The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Plume
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0452281547

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In 1958, a year after the publication of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand gathered a group of student readers and writers in her living room for a series of 12 four-hour lectures about fiction. The Art of Fiction evolved from that course. Though Rand's Romantic Manifesto was also partly based on the same lecture series, this book omits (for the most part) Rand's discussions of other art forms. Its gist is a case for fiction that is "Romantic" (deriving from a belief in free will) rather than "Naturalistic" (allowing for fate).

It is hard to be ambivalent about Ayn Rand. Rand spoke in absolutes, and either you buy it or you don't. There is plenty of fiber and nutritious material in this book, but the Rand agnostic may find it hard to digest. Rand's ego is enormous and her dismissiveness petty most every step of the way. "In regard to precision of language," says Rand, who uses her work throughout the book to exemplify her points, "I think I myself am the best writer today." But woe to any other author, excluding Victor Hugo, Mickey Spillane, and, with reservations, Dostoyevsky. "To see how not to write," advises Rand, "read [Thomas Wolfe's] descriptive passages." Sinclair Lewis, she says, is a "perceptive but superficial observer." James Joyce? "He is worse than Gertrude Stein. ...He uses words from different languages, makes up some words of his own, and calls that literature."

Still, Rand does have some useful things to say to the fiction writer. Perhaps most important is her emphatic belief in the concrete. "In order to be completely free with words," she intones, "you must know countless concretes under your abstractions." It is only the concrete, she adds, that will lead the reader to your abstractions, your themes. Along related lines, Rand believes firmly that "If a writer feels that he was unable fully to express what he wanted to express, it means that he did not know clearly what he wanted to express"--no more blaming it on writer's block for you! And remember: "A good style is one that conveys the most with the greatest economy of words." This means that "when you draw a character, everything that you say about him acquires significance by the mere fact of being included in your story." The bottom line is that "Art is selectivity." --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

A newly published resource taken from a famous lecture course given by Ayn Rand

In 1958, Ayn Rand, already the world-famous author of such bestselling books as Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, gave a private series of extemporaneous lectures in her own living room on the art of fiction. Tore Boeckmann and Leonard Peikoff for the first time now bring readers the edited transcript of these exciting personal statements. The Art of Fiction offers invaluable lessons, in which Rand analyzes the four essential elements of fiction: theme, plot, characterization, and style. She demonstrates her ideas by dissecting her best-known works, as well as those of other famous authors, such as Thomas Wolfe, Sinclair Lewis, and Victor Hugo. An historic accomplishment, this compendium will be a unique and fascinating resource for both writers and readers of fiction.

Customer Reviews:

If you want your fiction to change lives, ask Ayn Rand.......2007-05-26

Half a century after the publication of her two seminal works of fiction, Ayn Rand is still selling 100,000's each and every year. And every year more and more editions and translations are issued. Atlas Shrugged was voted the second most influential book every written (behind its antipode - the Bible). Her books change lives. They take over.

In this book, which discusses the 'how' of writing, Ayn Rand, states explicitly her methods for creating emotionally intense and lasting works. The information in this book is unique and is based on her understanding of how the mind works. This is a very practical guide for writers who are serious about writing. Clear, cogent and exciting.

Those who can - DO - Learn from them.......2006-06-24

Highly recommended ... Ayn Rand became a literary legend in her own time and continues to occupy a unique stature in American fiction, despite the fact that her native language was Russian. This is her advice on the techniques she used on her ascent to the top.

Those who can - DO - those who can't - TEACH .... learn from those who cause results rather than just talk about it.

Excellent. Must have........2006-02-10

One of the major failures with most how-to-write books is the author's cant explain what they do. They talk around the topic but never seem to be able to illustrate how they write. Ayn Rand does a superb job of explaining how to write, simply and clearly. She also justifies her recommendations with concrete, rational examples from her writing and the classics. This is a book you must have.

The missing chapters from "Romanitc Manifesto.".......2005-09-21

"In regard to precision of language I think I myself am the best writer today." (P. 10)

OK-this is Ayn Rand, so you either love her or hate her. But you do have to admit that she is one the world's clearest thinkers. She not only knows what she believes, but she also knows how to explain it, and explain it very well. This is exceptional when you consider that English is a second language.

Moreover, her main qualification is writing the second-most influential book in America, with the Bible being number 1, "The Road Less Traveled" at 4, "Lord of the Rings" at 5, and "The Book of Mormon" at 8. That is no small feat, considering that "Atlas Shrugged" is over a thousand pages long, and beat out "Gone With The Wind," "Man's Search For Meaning," and "To Kill M Mockingbird."

She covers the four topics of theme, plot, characterization, and style, and uses her keen mind to analyze the critical elements. You get a good feel for how good a writer Rand is when you compare her streamlined prose with Thomas Wolf's raunchy vomiting.

There is nothing new, per se, in this book. She has the gift of getting to the essence of an issue. She also covers twice as much information in about half the page space. You do not get bogged down in verbal circumlocutions.

I would suggest reading this book, then reading "Philosophy: Who Needs It?" and then "The Romantic Manifesto." There are deep ideas behind her faction, and this book is a summation of her intellectual point of view. As a Mormon, I disagree with much of her philosophy. However, if someone has a good idea, I am honor bound to recognize it. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Rand's strength is that she is operating from a philosophic point of view. We really do not have philosophic fiction writers, outside of C. S. Lewis, Nietzsche and Sartre. This is not to say that other authors do not have ideas, but that they are not operating from a certain point of view. This is why Rand is so engaging: instead of presenting a mental muddle, she actually has a point to what she writes. Hence her precision in language.

Good Advice to Be Sure..........2005-01-16

The advice Rand gives writers in this transcription of a series of living room lectures is sound in places: anchor your abstractions in the concrete; remember that art is selectivity; show, don't tell; use actions to illuminate your character, etc, etc, etc. All good advice, to be sure, but to say that Rand is proposing anything new or different from what is taught in writing seminars across the country is a little disingenuous. Add to this her refusal to praise the work of any author besides herself and Victor Hugo, her casual dismissal of prominent writers without convincing evidence (and, even more interesting, the relative paucity of authors she even brings up) and a few didactic guidelines (her ban on profanity, slang, and references less than one century old), and there's rather too much extraneous stuff here to be worth the effort of wading in to try to get to the good bits.

If it's advice you're looking for, there's an excellent essay called "Dogma" in "The Writing Life," a collection of essays and interviews with a number of authors put together by the National Book Award that I found both more helpful and less self-absorbed.

The Art of Nonfiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers

Average customer rating:

Seminal Text For Writers
You cannot stop a bandersnatch.
Excellent guide to writing
One For Your Library.
Clear as a bell

The Art of Nonfiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0452282314
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Amazon.com

In The Art of Nonfiction, Ayn Rand spends six pages explaining why something she wrote about the launching of Apollo II is far superior to something Loudon Wainwright wrote about it; throughout the book, she uses her own work as examples of exemplary writing. Somehow, though, Rand's robust ego is less unbearable here than it is in, say, her Art of Fiction.

This book is a frank demystification of the writing process that originated as a series of lectures given in 1969 to friends and other potential contributors to Rand's magazine, The Objectivist. "Any person who can speak English grammatically can learn to write nonfiction," Rand declares. All you need "is what you need for life in general: an orderly method of thinking." Rand values clarity above all else in nonfiction writing, and it is her own clearheadedness that makes this book appealing. Within these pages, Rand discusses subject and theme, audience, philosophy, outlines, writing, and editing. She takes swipes at The New Yorker for its "'brilliant' essays that say nothing," and at William Buckley, whose "trademark is to use words he probably spends half his time looking up in the dictionary." She rails against disruptions ("When I was writing Atlas Shrugged, I accepted neither day nor evening appointments, with rare exceptions, for roughly thirteen years"). And she is an exacting taskmaster who demands that you not choose a lesser aspect of a subject than "the deepest one that interests you and that you can do." Finally, says Rand, you must write from a position of complete confidence and omnipotence. "While you are writing," she says, "you must be God's perfect creature (if there were a God)." --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

A remarkable series of lectures on the art of creating effective nonfiction by one of the 20th century's most profound writers and thinkers-now available for the first time in print.

Culled from sixteen informal lectures Ayn Rand delivered to a select audience in the late 1960s, this remarkable work offers indispensable guidance to the aspiring writer of nonfiction while providing readers with a fascinating discourse on art and creation. Based on the concept that the ability to create quality nonfiction is a skill that can be learned like any other, The Art of Nonfiction takes readers through the writing process, step-by-step, providing insightful observations and invaluable techniques along the way.

In these edited transcripts, Rand discusses the psychological aspects of writing, and the different roles played by the conscious and subconscious mind. From choosing a subject to polishing a draft to mastering an individual writing style-for authors of theoretical works or those leaning toward journalistic reporting-this crucial resource introduces the words and ideas of one of our most enduring authors to a new generation.

Customer Reviews:

Seminal Text For Writers .......2007-05-26

Ayn Rand is one of the foremost communicators of our time. Her ability to communicate complex issues cogently, logically and passionately means that, decades later, her works are still being sited as `the text' to read, in politics, philosophy or morality. Clarity, integration and style are thoroughly discussed. The advice given here applies to all non-fiction writing (see also her book on fiction writing The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers) and it's not the usual recycled blurb. Rand's method of thinking, led to her method of writing and style. This book lets you into some of those secrets and allows anybody to improve their writing skills.

You cannot stop a bandersnatch........2007-02-05

I was rather impressed with what Rand had to say about writing and style. As the authoress of the second-most influential book ("Atlas Shrugged"), she has a lot to say on the matter. And, as always, you cannot stop a bandersnatch.

There are some preliminaries. First, as with all of her writings, this book's ideas are outgrowths of her philosophy of Objectivism. For Rand aficionados, you know that it keeps cropping up with everything that she writes. So if you either agree with her, or are willing to plow around it, then get this book.

Second, this book is really edited selections from a longer seminar she had on writing. If the discussion seems out of joint at times, it is due to the selecting/editing process. To help round out here ideas, I suggest reading "The Art of Writing Fiction" and "The Romanic Manifesto," all of which were extracted from this same meeting.

Rand is one of the finest systematic thinkers ever, and this book shows it. She is able to take something apart, separate, correlate, and analyze the parts, and then put it back together again.

By being so analytical, she gets the writing process right. The first five chapters are really the basting cap essential in explosive writing. Writing can be simplified by preparation, organization, and thinking, which is the message of these chapters.

Chapters 5 through 8 cover the more traditional nuts and bolts of writing. Chapter 5, on creating an outline, is the key link between thinking and writing. She is right when suggesting that everyone writing nonfiction should use an outline. It organizes both the mind and the writing. I was glad that the editors included some sample outlines of Rand's writing, to watch how the process proceeds from outline to full article.

I think out of all of the chapters, "Writing the Draft" was the most helpful. The editor subtitled it "The primacy of the subconscious." This highlights Rand's point that writing is really something that comes spontaneously form a disciplined mind. Furthermore, the chapter contains several subsections on "The Squirms," helpful mulling, euthanizing pet sentences, and handling interruptions.

This last point cannot be emphasized too much: writing is a job, and it takes concentration. Rand likens it to heating a blast furnace--you work up to a high temperature, and that temperature must be maintained for weeks to get the desired results. While writing "Atlas Shrugged," she had to sequester herself for thirteen years.

I have a similar experience while writing. People visibly see you clacking on the computer, but what they do not see is the amount of focus inside your head, invisible to your eyes. So they want you to answer the phone, run this errand, baby-sit, chat, paint a house, watch some idiotizing program on TV, or come in on your day off because so-and-so called in sick so they could stay home watching some idiotizing program on TV. You need to be as harsh with writing as you would with your bill-paying job. Indeed, a good writer sees writing AS A SECOND JOB!

The last chapters are a potpourri of topics that did not fit in either "The Romantic Manifesto" or "The Art of Fiction." They are helpful for what they are, but seem a bit out of place and curt. They serve as surveys to the topics.

The only critique I have would be rearranging the chapters. Move chapter 12 ("Acquiring Ideas For Writing") up between chapters 1 and 2, since the thinking process--the process of reverie and listening to the unconscious percolate--precedes the choice of a subject and theme. I would also move chapter 11 ("Selecting a title") to go after chapter 7 ("Editing"), and moved chapter 8 ("Style") between the chapters on writing the draft and editing. Since this book was edited posthumously, this organizational error is not hers.

Here is my ideal order:

1. Preliminary remarks
2. Acquiring Ideas for Writing
3. Choosing a Subject and Theme
4. Judging one's Audience
5. Applying Philosophy
6. Creating an Outline
7. Writing the Draft
8. Style
9. Editing
10. Selecting a Title
11. Book Reviews
12. Writing a Book
Appendix: Outlines

For a second or third reading, it may be helpful to use this order, since it follows the process of thinking-writing-rewriting.

*

I have put this book in my mix of style guides, and will read it along with Strunk and White, Trimble's "Writing With Style," The Chicago Manual, and "The Little, Brown Handbook."

(I would rate it five stars, but the disordered chapter organization talked me out of it.)

Excellent guide to writing.......2006-11-03

This book offers guidance on a variety of topics and problems that a writer of non-fiction, whether articles or books, might encounter. The advice is never formulaic, but rather gives the reader methods by which to improve his own writing process and style. Highly recommended.

One For Your Library........2006-02-23

It starts slow and plods along for a few chapters but eventually Rand strikes a resonant chord and the writing comes to life. Ayn Rand will get your mind 'right' about writing and get your mental tool-box organized, to handle odd-jobs or the magnum-opus.

Clear as a bell.......2005-08-09

As with so much of Ayn Rand's writing, she takes on an issue (in this case, nonfiction writing) that seems hopelessly complex, and then explains it with such clarity that you're left wondering what all the confusion was about in the first place. If you're stuck in your writing, even if you've never read anything by Rand before, this book is priceless.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Synopsis of the Wisdom of Ayn Rand.
Could Have Been Worse
Excellent Introduction to Ayn Rand
Excellent introduction to Ayn Rand's books
Good collection, surprisingly

Ayn Rand Reader
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0452280400

Book Description

The Fountainhead, which became one of the most influential and widely read philosophical novels of the twentieth century, made Ayn Rand famous. An impassioned proponent of rational self-interest, individualism, and laissez-faire capitalism, she expressed her unique views in numerous works of fiction and non-fiction that have been brought together for the first time in this one-of-a-kind volume. Containing excerpts from all her novels--including Atlas Shrugged, Anthem, and We The Living--The Ayn Rand Reader is a perfect introduction for those who have never read Rand, and provides teachers with an excellent guide to the basics of her viewpoint.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Synopsis of the Wisdom of Ayn Rand........2006-07-09

Pseudo-sophisticated philosophers beware! "Edited by Gary Hull and Leonard Peikoff, here is a rare and illuminating glimpse into the legendary writer's (Rand's) evolution as an artist and philosopher." With that bold statement from the back cover of the text dangling as a morsel of hubris so as to hook the buyer; The Ayn Rand Reader certainly does make good on the promise.

Whether you are seasoned reader or a neophyte into Rand's writings this text delivers the main points of her Objectivist Philosophy in a survey style covering her observations, feelings, and convcitions regarding Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Politics, and Esthetics. Ayn Rand was an impassioned proponent of reason, individualism, and laissez-faire capitalism; as such she deserves to be called the greatest philosopher of the Twentieth Century and arguably of all time.

Persons genuinely interested in Rand or simply curious about her doctrines will not be disappointed with this text. I rate it at five stars with no reservation.

Could Have Been Worse.......2000-06-14

This is a well-edited colection of Ayn Rand's writings. It is quite good in light of the fact that it contains selections from her fiction and non-fiction writings. For those of us who have a hard time getting through her over-blown, ponderous works of literature, having the key philosophical portions excerpted in one book is a good idea. Also, the book contains only stuff by Rand and therfore is not contaminated by her second-hand followers, like some other collections of her works.

One thing about the book is interesting. Editor Gary Hull tells us that "I have, of course, made no changes in AR's own words." That's not accurate. In the selection "Attila and the Witch Doctor" which was originally published in FOR THE NEW INTELLECTUAL, Rand states in a footnote: "I am indebted to Nathaniel Branden for many valuable observations on this subject and for his eloquent designation of the two archetypes . . ." (FNI, 14.) Although the paragraph to which this footnote is keyed is quoted in full in the READER, this footnote is left out.

Excellent Introduction to Ayn Rand.......1999-03-16

For those of you who are honestly interested in learning about Ayn Rand, I fully recommend this book as an introduction to her philosophy.

It's very disheartening to see that Ayn Rand detractors have overwhelmed most of the review boards for her books.

If you read this book, please keep in mind several things that its detractors have not:

1. Ayn Rand's philosophy is an integrated system of looking at life and reality. It distorts her view when you grab one of her ideas and take it out of context. Before you pass judgment on Ayn Rand, please know what you are talking about and learn the fundamentals of her philosophy.

2. You have to be honest to learn from Ayn Rand. Reading her books won't dislodge the falsehoods from your mind, nor cram the truth into your brain. She has created a roadmap for learning the ideal philosophy, but YOU have to look at reality and learn it yourself. Because of this, there are people who have distorted her ideas drastically. Please look at what she has written to learn about her, NOT what others interpret her to be.

That's why this book is so important in clearing up the chaos surrounding Ayn Rand. So many people have misinterpreted her. Here you can get the information firsthand. In her own words.

Excellent introduction to Ayn Rand's books.......1999-03-08

This is an excellent compilation of Miss Rand's writings -- an introduction for beginners and a treasured condensation (of her writings) for her ardent fans.

Although I have (read) all Miss Rand's fiction and non-fiction, the Ayn Rand Reader permits me quick reference to many of my favorite passages and essays.

Miss Rand's writings are my continuing source of spiritual (mind) and moral strength in a world (currently) dominated by collectivism and altruism.

Her writings will, in time, be the foundation of a New (and much needed) Renaissance.

Good collection, surprisingly.......1999-02-13

This is a good introductory collection of Randian material -- not perfect, but good. I'm giving it five stars just to prove that I can be nice to the folks at the Ayn Rand Institute when they do a decent job of putting a new volume together. The fact that they didn't pad it with mediocre essays by Peikoff and Schwartz is a major accomplishment and I think it deserves to be recognized. Keep it up, guys.

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The Art of Nonfiction: a Guide for Writers and Readers
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Plume Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Fountainhead Sears Readers Club
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Sears Readers Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000UZO9SO

Product Description

An excitingly dramatic novel, this book is based on a challenging belief in the importance of selfishness, on the provocative idea that man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress. It is chiefly the story of Howard Roark, Architect - a man whose sole aim in life was to build, and to build not in the tradition of the past but only in the tradition of Howard Roark. He knew he was right with the same certainty that he knew he had two hands with which to create. No one could convince him otherwise. In fact, it did not bother him that people tried to. No opinion except his own either disturbed or influenced him. Perhaps that is why he was hated - because he needed no one, depended on no one, wanted no one, and to the people who lived on the borrowed vision of others such a man is a challenge and a danger. There are many characters in this truly great book, each one faultlessly etched with a sure and revealing pen. Ayn Rand has written a dramatic, action-filled book of tremendous scope against a fascinating background of a profession heretofore little described in fiction. You may never know the living counterparts of these characters in their entirety, but you will recognize many a facet of them in the people you meet. You may never know a love affair like that of Roark and Dominique, yet in these pages it will be as real to you as the house you enter tonight, as the office building you go into tomorrow. Whether you hate it or love it, you won't forget this novel...and you will remember, above all, its timely expression of impassioned faith in the individual.

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