The Early Ayn Rand: A Selection from Her Unpublished Fiction

by Ayn Rand and Leonard Peikoff

Book Overview

This remarkable, newly revised collection of Ayn Rand's early fiction--including her previously unpublished short story The Night King --ranges from beginner's exercises to excerpts from early... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451146077
• ISBN13: 9780451146076
• Release Date: December 1986
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 434 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Several quick reads as an Ayn Rand Appetizer or a dessert after The Fountainhead

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.

A wonderful glimpse into the early thoughts of Ayn Rand

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.

If you love idealism, you love her[Ayn Rand].

I read this book as if it were the last one she had written. I savored the stories, the characters, the sometimes enevitable plots. I grew up with Ayn. First I read Anthem, then The Fountainhead, and then Atlas Shrugged.(These over the course of my teen years.) I believed that what she said was true. Yes, I have matured and realized life is not quite so perfect as I wished it could be as Ayn had expressed it. However, I have found that if I expect the best from life, and except nothing less, then that is what I will recieve. I think that is all Ayn ever intended to say. Yes, she seemed to make it all complicated and profound, but all in all she just wanted what was the best and what was right. Don't we all?? YOU determine what is right and best for you. It doesn't have to match anyone else. I just happen to match Ayn. Have you read We the Living? If you have not please do. I think this is as close to Ayn as you will ever get. Yes, she is an idealist and a capitalist to the nth degree. Ahhhh, but to believe in something so strongly, that is admirable.

Excellent, even for early works!!

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.

There's more?

Though it's obvioulsy not Atlas or Fountainhead, this is a good read. For anyone who's looking for more Rand Fiction, it's short, interesting, and enjoyable. The style IS in some ways similar to O. Henry, which was an added bonus. Because, hey...I loved O. Henry. Though the book may not be as life altering as some of her others, it is still a very enjoyable collection. (And if you haven't read O. Henry, read him too.)