Product Description

Ayn Rand made a profound impact as both a philosopher who founded a school of social thought, Objectivism, and as a novelist of penetrating insight and vision. Her works are founded on heroic ideals, demonstrating the maxim that, "man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress."

The photos and illustrations in this volume have been hand-selected from the Ayn Rand Archives, and most have never been published. They include personal mementos of a Petersburg childhood, her family and their home on Nevsky Prospect; photos from her early years in America; personal papers, including her list of the twelve publishers who passed on The Fountainhead; original newspaper articles, film posters, notes, drawings, and much more.

In a recent poll conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club, Rand’s Atlas Shrugged was voted the novel most influential to American readers. This latest volume of the acclaimed Overlook Illustrated Lives series gives her legions of fans an unprecedented chance to better understand the author they adore.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #325540 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07
• Released on: 2004-12-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

From Publishers Weekly
At age nine, Ayn Rand (1905-1982) decided she would be a writer, and she achieved that goal with a speed and success most aspiring authors only dream of. (She published her first novel, We the Living, at the age of 28.) Britting, who produced the Oscar-nominated documentary Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life and is now an archivist at the Ayn Rand Institute, delivers her biography in short, manageable chapters that cover an average of 10 years each. Born in Russia in 1905, she immigrated to America as a young woman and worked in Hollywood film studios and theaters while trying to get her writing published. Like many authors, Rand experienced her share of initial rejection, but she soon became well known for controversial novels (i.e., The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged) that advanced her intensely individualistic philosophy. Britting’s writing is lively and engaging, and he doesn’t dwell on any single subject more than another. Anyone looking for an in-depth analysis of Rand’s thinking or of the fascinating periods in her life that Britting touches on, such as her role giving testimony for the House Un-American Activities Committee, should look elsewhere, but as a quick, general primer, this book does the job admirably. It features an impressive array of photos, many of which are published here for the first time, as well as reproductions of book jackets, letters, notes and artwork, which add richness to the narrative. A proponent of individualism and selfishness, Rand herself would no doubt be pleased with this to-the-point overview of her life and achievements. 50 color and 70 b&w illustrations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Part of an excellent series, this biography of the vocal proponent of individualism and capitalism, and a cult favorite, is chock-full of photos and drawings. Written by an archivist of the Ayn Rand Institute and an award-winning documentary filmmaker, it is short on text but contains the vital information and a well-distilled sense of Rand's sensibilities. Tracing her belief in the supremacy of capitalism from her formative years in Soviet Russia, through her various stints as a Hollywood screenwriter, to her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, Britting describes his subject's early influences and developing philosophy. While there is not a great deal of time spent on Rand the woman, or her more scandalous endeavors, readers come away with an introductory understanding of her influences and her continuing impact as well as her dogged pursuit and promulgation of her ideals. Containing 50 color and 70 black-and-white illustrations of people, posters, notes, and book jackets, as well as a useful index and thorough notes, this is a quick and useful primer on Rand and superb starting point for more in-depth reports or background reading.–Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"'A beautifully designed new series... scores of pictures with crisply related biography and commentary... Look no further for the perfect literary stocking stuffer.' - Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World"

Customer Reviews

A brief journey through a great life
Jeff Britting's "Ayn Rand" is a superb account of the life of one of the most interesting intellectuals of the 20th century. Many have read her novels the Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged but few know that the details of her life make her seem very much like a character out of her own novels. Her youth in Russia is recounted in some detail, as well as her departure for the United States, and her early career writing for film and theater. This is followed by further information on the writing of her novels culminating in Atlas Shrugged. Then, having completed her goals in literature, she moved to focus more on helping to spread the philosophy she developed in the course of writing her novels by writing and speaking wherever and whenever she could.

This book is a good starting point for understanding her life. It contains a little more detail than the Academy Award Nominated movie "A sense of life" of which Britting is the producer. For greater details on her intellectual development I recommend "The Journals of Ayn Rand" edited by David Harriman. For more biographical details see also "Letters of Ayn Rand" edited by Michael Berliner, which contains much of her correspondence.

DELIGHTFUL !
This book expands upon the biographical information in "Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life," the companion book to the Academy Award-nominated documentary. It explores Miss Rand's life as a lone champion of individualism -- the great defender of freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

I especially enjoyed the photos of the young Ayn Rand, and information about her family. The many letters between them quoted here, smash the myth (perpetrated by inept pseudo-biographer Barbara Branden) that they were enemies.

Those who love Ayn Rand's fiction will find many details on the genesis of her monumental novels, "We the Living," "Anthem," "The Fountainhead," and "Atlas Shrugged."

Ayn Rand gives those who seek to understand the world, a rational philosophy to live by. She inspires, and sets minds on fire. The intellectual movement she created will lead to a second Renaissance: a rebirth of reason, Romanticism, and individual rights.

The only possible criticism of this book, is that it measures only 5" x 7". I'm sure her fans would gladly pay more, for a larger volume.

A Hymn to a Woman Who Loved Life
This book is simply beautiful -- and it should be. Ayn Rand possessed a benevolent spirit, a tremendous intellect, and an unstoppable dedication to her work. She was both kind and powerful, joyful and driven, witty and serious. In short, Ayn Rand was one of the most intriguing human beings that this world has ever seen. If you don't know about her already, buy Atlas Shrugged. If you do know about her and you simply want to get to know her better, buy this gorgeous and informative little book.