The Early Ayn Rand: A Selection from Her Unpublished Fiction (The Ayn Rand Library, Volume 2) (v. 2) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Leonard Peikoff (Editor, Contributor) "Ayn Rand arrived in the United States from Russia in February 1926, at the age of twenty-one, and spent several months with relatives in Chicago..." (more)
Key Phrases: Commandant Kareyev, Ayn Rand, Miss Gonda (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This collection of short fiction and plays by Ayn Rand charts her artistic and intellectual growth. It shows her development, in a critical decade, from a 21-year-old Russian emigrant struggling with English to a sophisticated writer of complex philosophical themes and prose.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Signet; 1st THUS edition (December 2, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451146077
• ISBN-13: 978-0451146076
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,303,655 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Ayn Rand Library Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the developing author of Atlas Shrugged, etc., August 24, 1996

By A Customer

As the introduction to this book states, it is not meant for the unseasoned reader of Ayn Rand. This book is meant for people who have read Rand's books and are interested in further writings by this masterful writer or insight into the ealy workings of this great mind. As the introduction also states, Rand wrote most of these plays and short stories never meaning for them to be published. Most of them have little philosophic underpinnings outside of the presentation of heroic characters. This book is a wonderful supliment for people who have read and enjoyed Rand's books and revel in the worlds that she creates. At times the plots of the short fiction presented here are a tad simplistic, but they are fun. A good book if you can't get enough of Rand

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful glimpse into the early thoughts of Ayn Rand, January 2, 2004

By	Wendy J. Pemberton (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection of literature is absolutely wonderful, so long as you realize that they will not be as polished as Rand's more famous works such as Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead. I still give it five stars because these early works cannot be compared to her later works, as while they still share a similar philosophy, they are not comparable.

That being said, there are stories that will make you cry and smile, and for those of us who enjoy reading literature composed by someone who so valued the human spirit at its best, they are a wealth of insight and enjoyment into Rand's world.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, even for early works!!, October 5, 1998

By	Jennifer Fugo ([e-mail]) (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

I have enjoyed every book that Ayn Rand has published, and I was so happy to read her first works. Yes, they were a bit shaky with the grammer and such, but the true brilliance of Rand's idea and beliefs show through. Anyone who has read anything of Ayn Rand should read this as well.