Ayn Rand

Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers

by Mimi Reisel Gladstein, John Meadowcroft (Editor)

The novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand was one of the most influential 20th century advocates of free market capitalism. Her work inspired Objectivism, a philosophical movement and former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan cited Rand as a formative intellectual influence. In this outstanding volume, Mimi Gladstein details Rand's belief in the moral supremacy of individualism over collectivism, highlighting her contribution to libertarian thought.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2009

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to read... It can serve the reader in two ways.
1) Read this prior to reading Rand's work (it is easier to digest 100+ pages with Rand's highlights than to digest 2,000 pages of Rand).
2) Read after reading Rand's work.

I read the Dr. Gladstein's book after reading Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. I felt like I sat through an informative class given by a life-long fan of Ayn Rand.

Dr. Gladstein's review of Rand is comprehensive and she discusses the views of people who disagree with Rand.

As as a new fan of Rand, I really enjoyed reading the work of a long-time student of Rand.

[Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another introduction to Ayn Rand. I've read a few of them now, and each offers something a little different. What I liked about this one is that it's short - about 125 pages; it's divided into four clearly defined chapters - a brief biography, an outline of Rand's philosophy, a discussion of her writings and how they were received, and the contemporary relevance of these works. The book offered new information that I hadn't read elsewhere, particularly about the group of people that gathered around her in the later years, when she was writing Atlas Shrugged - Nathaniel and Barbara Brandon, Alan Greenspan, Leonard Peikoff and others. It also offered some great insights into the novels (which I've now read), as well as Rand's non-fiction work (which I've yet to read). Definitely a good book to get into if you're just starting on your Ayn Rand journey.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have preferred a more systematic approach to Rand's themes and a more explicit description of the philosophical argument Rand provides in favour of her positions; the text wasn't easy to follow. Otherwise, serves as an okay introduction.