The World of Atlas Shrugged: The Essential Companion to Ayn Rand's Masterpiece [UNABRIDGED] [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)

by Robert Bidinotto/The Objectivist Center (Author), Edward Herrmann (Author), Lynn Redgrave (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Ayn Rand's famous 1957 classic, Atlas Shrugged, has become more widely read and influential with each passing year, thanks in part to its brilliant dramatization of Rand's Objectivist philosophy and its celebration of self-reliance, integrity, rationality, and productive effort. Like any great work of literature, however, Atlas Shrugged can be intimidating. Even those who have read and re-read it may feel they have not fully appreciated its vision of life. For the neophyte and the longtime admirer alike, The World of Atlas Shrugged provides essential context, brilliant commentary and authoritative insight into the novel's literary purpose and structure.

About the Author
Edward Kirk Herrmann (born July 21, 1943) is an American television and film actor.

Herrmann was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Jean Eleanor (née O'Connor) and John Anthony Herrmann.[1] He has German ancestry on his father's side. Herrmann grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and graduated from Bucknell University in 1965, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright Fellowship.

Lynn Rachel Redgrave OBE (born 8 March 1943) is an English actress.

A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn Redgrave trained in London, before making her theatrical debut in 1962. By the mid 1960s she had appeared in several films, including Tom Jones (1963), and Georgy Girl (1966) which won her a New York Film Critics Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

In 1967, she made her Broadway debut and has since performed in several stage productions in New York, while continuing to make frequent returns to the London West End. She has performed with her sister Vanessa in Three Sisters in London, and in the title role in a television production of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?.

Redgrave made a return to films in the late 1990s in films such as Shine (1996) and Gods and Monsters (1998), for which she received another Academy Award nomination.

In recent years, she has discussed her health problems associated with bulimia, and breast cancer which resulted in a mastectomy.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Highbridge Audio; 1.5 hours/2 CD edition (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156511471X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565114715
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #130,864 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Supplement to "Atlas Shrugged", August 18, 2001

By	F. Lybrand "Black Mesa" (Chapel Hill, NC US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead", and given their message, wouldn't be so bold as to review either. It had been some years since I first read "Atlas Shrugged" so I purchased this audio disc as a refresher. It couldn't have been a better decision. The two discs walked quickly, but with ample detail, through the plot and major characters, drawing connections I hadn't noticed the first time I read the book, and giving some background as to Ms. Rand's thoughts when originally composing the text. I do not know if I would call it the "Essential" companion, but it is quite good. This Audio Disc makes a great companion to the book, providing just enough to make it worth reading, while not completely reciting the entire text. I would suggest reading the book before listening to the disk as there are some areas of the plot that would be spoiled. However, I do think if you wanted to gauge your interest before tackling the full text, this might not be a bad way to do so.

This is a good audio CD that accomplishes its task very efficiently. It is a great summary of "Atlas Shrugged" with just the right amount of additional detail.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding reader's guide to "Atlas Shrugged", May 7, 2001

By A Customer

This recording is a "must," whether you're a new reader of Ayn Rand's greatest novel, or whether you're a long-time fan who would like to revisit the special moments that have thrilled millions, and made "Atlas Shrugged" a modern classic. "The World of Atlas Shrugged" provides a summary of the plot, a sketch of the key characters, a biography of author Rand, insightful literary analysis, and an overview of the provocative moral philosophy known as Objectivism. The narration by Edward Herrmann and the additional readings by Lynn Redgrave are masterfully delivered, adding color and drama throughout, as does the compelling musical score. For teachers and students, as well as the general reader, it's a refreshingly original and entertaining alternative to the dry, dull analysis offered in the "Cliffs Notes" sorts of "reader's companions." A first-rate, professional, and provocative recording!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncritical companion, November 26, 2001

By	J. Marren "jtm497" (Glen Ridge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I bought this to supplement the novel which I was rereading after 30 years for my book club. This is a good way to tie together what at times is a heavy text--although as I say in my review of the book itself the plot is a real potboiler. I found the tape helpful in understanding Rand's literary technique--in setting up larger than life heroes and impossibly obnoxious villians---a good refresher too if your recollection of the book is hazy. But for a critical analysis of the novel as a work of literature or philosophy, look elsewhere.