Product Description

The year 2005 marks Ayn Rand’s Centennial Year.

The astounding story of a man that said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2669 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1192 pages

About the Author
Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Ms. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in the nonfiction books Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtue of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.

Customer Reviews

One of the most important books ever written.
If you are a philosophy buff, regardless of your feelings about Rand's views, you need to read this book. I particularly liked the application to everyday activities and relationships that are described in Atlas Shrugged. This is VERY heavy reading, but the story is enjoyable to the very end.

Great book! Still relevent 40 years after it was written.
I had heard of this book before, but the size of it kind of scared me away. I am very glad I decided to get it in spite of the long read. This is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is at least as timely today as it was in the 50s when it was written. I am hooked on Ayn now and would recomend anything by her. Good story as well as relevent metaphor/parable in todays liberally altruistic political climate.

Where is a good editor when you need one?
This book screams out for an editor, an aggressive one at that. But alas, because of Rand's cult status she no doubt was able to ride roughshod over any attempts to rein in her voluble style.

The book remains a classic, and despite it prodigious length should be read to understand Ayn Rand's philosophic perspective. Her characters suffer from lack of believability as does her story. Her treatment of evil is ham-fisted with her characters nearly caricatures who evolve into straw men easily knocked down by the equally caricature like heroes. Her philosophical perspective screams from every single page and is so heavy handed as to render the reader nearly senseless. Personally, I think she would have been even more influential had she crafted her tale with characters a little less caricature like.

BUT, and this is a big but, hers is a worthy philosophical viewpoint that should at least partially inform every conservative or libertarian mindset. One should be very careful however not to be swept away by Rand but rather to carefully and rationally incorporate her ideas into an overall pursuit of truth.

Rand rejects religion. I do not think that one needs to reject religion to appreciate the value of Rand's perspective for at the end of the day many of her ideas would create a more humane rational world fully compatible with a religious perspective. I am a paleo-conservative of the Reagan school who likes Rand a great deal but feel that religion and Western traditions are an essential part of a truthful perspective that informs my own viewpoints.

My suggestion would be to read Rand with the same grain of salt that you would read any author. Maintain your skepticism. Do not surrender your mind to Rand but rather allow her to test and possibly shape your ideas.