The Early Ayn Rand: Revised Edition: A Selection From Her Unpublished Fiction [Mass Market Paperback]

Ayn Rand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

This remarkable, newly revised collection of Ayn Rand's early fiction—including her previously unpublished short story The Night King—ranges from beginner's exercises to excerpts from early versions of We the Living and The Fountainhead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''In brief, intimate readings, narrator Bernadette Dunne creates realistic characters with only slight shifts in tone. . . Dunne's voice shifts almost imperceptibly between description and dialogue, and the result is a resonating, unencumbered performance.'' --AudioFile

Praise for Ayn Rand:
''Ayn Rand is destined to rank in history as the outstanding novelist and most profound philosopher of the twentieth century.'' --New York Daily Mirror --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

AYN RAND (1905-1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and came to the United States in 1926. She published her first novel in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success and her unique philosophy, objectivism, gained a worldwide following. --This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Revised edition (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045121465X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451214652
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #639,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Several quick reads as an Ayn Rand Appetizer or a dessert after The Fountainhead, April 22, 2007

By 

Eric Westphal "Flying Fanatic" (Finikaria, Cyprus) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Early Ayn Rand: Revised Edition: A Selection From Her Unpublished Fiction (Mass Market Paperback)

The stories in this book all have the same qualities as the books Ayn Rand wrote during her mature years: that life can and should be an adventure ("Good Copy"), that men have a great capacity for heroism ("Red Pawn"), that no man can escape the consequences of his philosophy ("Think Twice"). If you've been curious about Ayn Rand but hesitant to take on reading one of her large books (Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead) then try reading a couple of these short stories. If you enjoy them, you probably won't be able to wait to get started reading one of her books! If you've already enjoyed reading one of her books, these stories will give you a few more hours to spend with her and her ideas.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want more Rand? Here it is., December 3, 2011

By 

John W. Christmas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Early Ayn Rand: Revised Edition: A Selection From Her Unpublished Fiction (Mass Market Paperback)

I find "The Early Ayn Rand" to be well-edited and well-organized with helpful introductions to each work by Leonard Peikoff. The introductions cover not only the immediate works but also the philosophy behind the works, comparable to the ideas in "The Art of Fiction" by Rand but in more concise form.

I disagree with Mr. Peikoff's recommendation to read Rand's novels first and these early works second. A serious thinker who wants to understand Rand and never read anything by her could best understand her philosophy by reading the works in chronological order, starting with "Early Ayn Rand" and ending with her masterpiece "Atlas Shrugged."

Most of the works in the "The Early Ayn Rand" anthology were not intended for publication and therefore are best used to observe the process by which Rand developed her writing skills and her philosophy in steps over several decades. The works begin as short and entertaining theatrical bits but gradually get more philosophical.

Here are the works included:
1920's works
(1) The Husband I Bought - first person with a protagonist who is a woman in love
(2) The Night King - first person with a protagonist who is a male thief
(3) Good Copy - action and romance
(4) Escort - very short
(5) Her Second Career - about the difficulty of succeeding in Hollywood
1930's works
(6) Red Pawn - getting more philosophical now, about the stupidity of self-sacrifice
(7) We the Living (deleted sections) - not so great
(8) Ideal - written as a play, excellent philosophically
(9) Think Twice - written as a play, excellent philosophically
(10) Fountainhead (deleted sections) - excellent, Rourke's old girlfriend Vesta Dunning and their opposing philosophies
1940's work
(11) The Simplest Thing in the World - common human trait of striving to put other people down

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"