The Driver is a classic novel, original written in the 1920s by famous economist of the period, Garet Garrett. It tells the story of a well-known and widely criticised entrepreneur who takes over a failing railway and turns it into a hugely successful business, along with the major boost it gives the wider economy. a classic in the tale of how misunderstood the role of entrepreneurs in our lives is, and the challenges they face to achieve.
The Driver (LvMI)
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I just finished reading The Driver. I had heard about this book the way many people probably also have- Justin Raimondo's accusations that Ayn Rand plagiarized it for her novel Atlas Shrugged. The Driver has been out of print for quite some time, but it now appears to have entered the public domain as several new editions have appeared over the last year.
The organization who published this edition appear to have used an OCR scanner to scan in either a library edition or the Google Books PDF. There are several text errors that likely came from the scanning (and that a good editor or reviewer would have found and removed before printing). There are other layout problems- one example is that the left page header is supposed to have the title of the current chapter- but they all have the first chapter's title. The cover is also a mess- a blocky and unclear US railroad map with another blocky and unclear photo of a locomotive on top of it.
The story itself is good. Economic problems in the United States have left many unemployed. Some feel that the problem is that there isn't enough money, and that the government should print more. The book opens with the narrator (a journalist) following a march of angry men on a march to Washington. The narrator eventually takes a job at a railroad company, where he observes its uninspired staff and meets Henry Galt, a stock speculator who is buying more and more of the railroad's stock. The narrator befriends Galt and his family. The railroad eventually declares bankrupcy, and Galt, who has been working feverishly on a plan to re-engineer the railroad, takes a leadership position in the company, eventually transforming it into a great success. It's not great literature for the ages, but it's a good story.
Raimondo has accused Rand of stealing the plot of this book. If you're curious, here are the similarities between Atlas Shrugged and The Driver: There is a main character in both books with the last name of Galt. Both books involve railroads. Both books have some element of the railroad fighting government interference in its business (though this is a minor element of The Driver, and much of the government interference is directed not at the company but at Galt, whose personality is such that he attracts enemies easily). Also, several company employees ask who Henry Galt is in response to him giving them orders out the blue. If Raimondo and others feel that Atlas Shrugged's plot is stolen from this book, they need to set aside a few years of their lives and re-read Atlas Shrugged.
The organization who published this edition appear to have used an OCR scanner to scan in either a library edition or the Google Books PDF. There are several text errors that likely came from the scanning (and that a good editor or reviewer would have found and removed before printing). There are other layout problems- one example is that the left page header is supposed to have the title of the current chapter- but they all have the first chapter's title. The cover is also a mess- a blocky and unclear US railroad map with another blocky and unclear photo of a locomotive on top of it.
The story itself is good. Economic problems in the United States have left many unemployed. Some feel that the problem is that there isn't enough money, and that the government should print more. The book opens with the narrator (a journalist) following a march of angry men on a march to Washington. The narrator eventually takes a job at a railroad company, where he observes its uninspired staff and meets Henry Galt, a stock speculator who is buying more and more of the railroad's stock. The narrator befriends Galt and his family. The railroad eventually declares bankrupcy, and Galt, who has been working feverishly on a plan to re-engineer the railroad, takes a leadership position in the company, eventually transforming it into a great success. It's not great literature for the ages, but it's a good story.
Raimondo has accused Rand of stealing the plot of this book. If you're curious, here are the similarities between Atlas Shrugged and The Driver: There is a main character in both books with the last name of Galt. Both books involve railroads. Both books have some element of the railroad fighting government interference in its business (though this is a minor element of The Driver, and much of the government interference is directed not at the company but at Galt, whose personality is such that he attracts enemies easily). Also, several company employees ask who Henry Galt is in response to him giving them orders out the blue. If Raimondo and others feel that Atlas Shrugged's plot is stolen from this book, they need to set aside a few years of their lives and re-read Atlas Shrugged.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Salt1907
Format:Paperback
I agree with the previous reviewer that The Driver does not reflect poorly on Ayn Rand. But the book is interesting for the "Ayn Rand relic's" that one finds throughout the book. One of the main lessons from The Driver relates to the Panic of 1893 and how it was resolved - a lesson that Washington could use today. There is a lengthy review posted at the Garet Garrett blog - garetgarrett - dot - blogspot dot com.
http://garetgarrett.blogspot.com/2008/08/driver-part-i-introductory-comments.html
http://garetgarrett.blogspot.com/2008/08/driver-part-i-introductory-comments.html
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By T. Agoston
A somewhat dated story line, but this novel has great lessons on free-market economics, capitalism, libertarianism, the societal benefits of business, and the harmful effects of politicians. Very appropriate lessons for our time. An easy read.
The mises.org website has a free audio version available for download.
The mises.org website has a free audio version available for download.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
Ayn Rand was said to have stolen her idea for Atlas Shrugged from this book. I don't see it. But nonetheless it is an interesting story that may have inspired her. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sunny Miami
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Precursor to Atlas Shrugged
If you liked atlas shrugged, then you should read this book which came several years earlier.
It is about a man who took over a train company (sound familiar? Read more
It is about a man who took over a train company (sound familiar? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tim
3.0 out of 5 stars
MEH
Perhaps this provided an inspiration for Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged' -- after all, there all some commonalities that are hard to explain otherwise. Read more
Published 6 months ago by jeffery
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great steward of capital
This 1922 novel is about an eccentric stock operator, Henry M. Galt, who--after meticulous research--started buying up shares of a failing railroad, seized control of it during its... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Shlok Datye
5.0 out of 5 stars
Font
I have had to read this book with a magnifying glass because the font is so small.
I do a lot of reading and writing, and I have to protect my eyes from fatigue. Read more
I do a lot of reading and writing, and I have to protect my eyes from fatigue. Read more
Published on November 13, 2009 by Reviewer
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