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Atlas Shrugged: Centennial Edition
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Manufacturer: Plume
Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Plume
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Our Price: $16.50
You Save: $ 8.50 ( 34% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Plume
Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Plume
Average Customer Rating:
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Atlas Shrugged: Centennial Edition Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780452286368
ISBN: 0452286360
Label: Plume
Manufacturer: Plume
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 1192
Publication Date: 2004-12-28
Publisher: Plume
Studio: Plume
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780452286368
ISBN: 0452286360
Label: Plume
Manufacturer: Plume
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 1192
Publication Date: 2004-12-28
Publisher: Plume
Studio: Plume
Editorial Review of Atlas Shrugged: Centennial Edition
The astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read.
Customer Reviews of Atlas Shrugged: Centennial Edition
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good Book, Terrible Paperback Binding
Review: My advise is to stay away from this paperback edition. I purchased the book new through Amazon. The pages are improperly clipped and ragged on the edges and some of the pages are diagonal. The paper also appears to be the acid type or at least low quality.
This is a poor excuse for a bound paperback Centennial edition of such a great author.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: One of The Great Novels
Review: I first read Atlas Shrugged almost 30 years ago on the advice of a friend, who described it as the best book he had ever read. I also found it to be in that class. It had a profound effect on me. I was moved by it toward a (even more) conservative view of politics and econimics, to the extent of becoming a little too "mean-spirited" and maybe a little paranoid.
I realize now that Ms. Rand is considered by some, accurately in my estimation, to have been an extremist . . . in the extreme. She was also an atheist, which viewpoint leaves one without hope outside of this world. Notwithstanding, her message regarding the liberal, anti-business, free lunch crowd rings through with refreshing clarity and plainly spoken truth. There is much wisdom in her "objectivist" philosophy and as a bonus, this story wraps it in an epic, hard-to-put-down novel.
This is one of the great books of the 20th century. Recommended.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: THIS IS NOT JOHN GALT SPEAKING
Review: Well, after reading this book, I don't have much to say. I like it, but not that much. I consider The Fountainhead a much better work. Here is my review. I agree with must of the theory behind the story. Government must not intervene with the economy. We don't need a degree to see that every time the leaders try to fix the economy, it just get worse. I agree that none have the right to impose their believe into others. I agree that incompetence must not be rewarded, that a job belongs to the better person, that is almost a crime to give a position to someone for any reason besides his qualifications, and I agree laws need to be more objective to avoid stuff we decry later on, and I can keep writing a few of the things that I agree. Like the quote "the only proper purpose of a government is to protect man's right which means: to protect him from physical violence" Or "there's no such things as a lousy job, only lousy men who don't care to do it", and one of my favorites "the foulest man on earth, more contemptible than a criminal, is the employer who rejects men for being too good".
But, the book turns a little bit boring. The main characters are a little bit unbelievable at times. Yes, we need to be ourselves, but every time one of the main characters is thinking or talking, you can't stop to think of someone anti-social. Let me explain. Yes, you have to be strong in defending your principles. And yes, we need to raise our voices when people are talking plain crap. Yes, we need to be more active and try to stop evil. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. The problem is that the message that come across must of the time is "you don't need anybody, you can be successful by yourself, the world is just there to supply you with the materials you need, etc" The problem is, that is not so. If you go with that attitude that you are superior to the rest of the world, you will never do anything, since everybody needs something from somebody. Want to build a house? Unless you have tons of money, you need a bank. Unless you have a lot of tress, you need to buy wood. Unless you own mines to find the metals, you need a store to buy the pipes, and everything else. Unless you own a piece of land, you'll need to buy one, and even if you own everything I wrote, you need permits to build. So, to tell people that they are individuals in the sense that come across in the book is a lie. Act like you don't need the bank and you won't get the loan. But, if what Mrs. Rand meant was to be yourself, and never letting anyone to alter your goal, then yes, I agree.
The book is not for dummies. Now, you don't need a degree either. You need to be a free thinker to understand it. But the John Galt speech...really? In real life, after 5 minutes half the people would turn off the radio. By the first hour of it, no one would be listening.
All in all, is a good read, but not a great one. Like I said, The Fountainhead is a far better book.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Transformations
Review: This is a book with the power to change the way you view the world. You may love it or hate it, but you will not be the same. A must read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Remarkably Overrated
Review: One phenonmenon which used to baffle me was the immense popularity that quasi-articulate writer-philosopher Ayn Rand seemed to enjoy among young people back in the late 60s, especially given that her novels (and "Atlas Shrugged" is probably the most egregious example), which are little valued among literary academics, were primarily vehicles for propogating her incredibly selfish philosophy of "objectivism" (she named it herself) -- a remarkably atheistic, utterly eogcentric, extremist philosophy which might fairly be described as what some have called "anarcho-capitalism".
I surmise that Ayn Rand gained her phenomenal popularity with younger folks for two major reasons: first, she opposed the Vietnam War; and, second, there were some very energetic and naive student "activist" organizations busy during the late 60s pushing her writings. Also, she became known as a feminist.
I wish that more people would take a little time to review Ayn Rand's (1905-82) biography and her extremist thought, but I suppose that would be asking too much. But, if they did, they would discover that Rand was originally born Alisa Zinovjevna Rosenbaum in Russia and, as a young lady, managed to make her way to America with ambitions of becoming a glamorous Hollywood screenwriter. Perhaps we have here a hint of the angst that later went into her "objectivism" -- she had fled a rigid, communistic, socialistic, totalitarian scene to come as a refugee to the heart of contemporary creative capitalism. She was overjoyed, celebrated all aspects of unbridled, laissez-faire, and became a staunch patriot. All this is reflected in her later novels.
Around 1950, with the assistance of a few supporters and followers, Rand launched a "think-tank" to promote "objectivism". One of the better-known disciples at the time was Alan Greenspan. Others she influenced include people that we might today describe as "neocons".
Rand sold loads of books, and even now, I have read that the sales exceed 500,000 copies per year. One can visit almost any bookstore and discover for themselves that there is no shortage of Ayn Rand books on the crowded shelves, either in the "literature and fiction" aisles or in the "philosophy" sections. When Americans are surveyed about which books are the "best" or the most "influential", Rand works such as "Atlas Shrugged" are inevitably ranked high, usually in the top five. In the meantime, if you ask literary critics and professional philosophers the same thing, Ayn Rand books will frequently not even appear on their lists. I think that this is revealing.
Review Summary: Good Book, Terrible Paperback Binding
Review: My advise is to stay away from this paperback edition. I purchased the book new through Amazon. The pages are improperly clipped and ragged on the edges and some of the pages are diagonal. The paper also appears to be the acid type or at least low quality.
This is a poor excuse for a bound paperback Centennial edition of such a great author.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: One of The Great Novels
Review: I first read Atlas Shrugged almost 30 years ago on the advice of a friend, who described it as the best book he had ever read. I also found it to be in that class. It had a profound effect on me. I was moved by it toward a (even more) conservative view of politics and econimics, to the extent of becoming a little too "mean-spirited" and maybe a little paranoid.
I realize now that Ms. Rand is considered by some, accurately in my estimation, to have been an extremist . . . in the extreme. She was also an atheist, which viewpoint leaves one without hope outside of this world. Notwithstanding, her message regarding the liberal, anti-business, free lunch crowd rings through with refreshing clarity and plainly spoken truth. There is much wisdom in her "objectivist" philosophy and as a bonus, this story wraps it in an epic, hard-to-put-down novel.
This is one of the great books of the 20th century. Recommended.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: THIS IS NOT JOHN GALT SPEAKING
Review: Well, after reading this book, I don't have much to say. I like it, but not that much. I consider The Fountainhead a much better work. Here is my review. I agree with must of the theory behind the story. Government must not intervene with the economy. We don't need a degree to see that every time the leaders try to fix the economy, it just get worse. I agree that none have the right to impose their believe into others. I agree that incompetence must not be rewarded, that a job belongs to the better person, that is almost a crime to give a position to someone for any reason besides his qualifications, and I agree laws need to be more objective to avoid stuff we decry later on, and I can keep writing a few of the things that I agree. Like the quote "the only proper purpose of a government is to protect man's right which means: to protect him from physical violence" Or "there's no such things as a lousy job, only lousy men who don't care to do it", and one of my favorites "the foulest man on earth, more contemptible than a criminal, is the employer who rejects men for being too good".
But, the book turns a little bit boring. The main characters are a little bit unbelievable at times. Yes, we need to be ourselves, but every time one of the main characters is thinking or talking, you can't stop to think of someone anti-social. Let me explain. Yes, you have to be strong in defending your principles. And yes, we need to raise our voices when people are talking plain crap. Yes, we need to be more active and try to stop evil. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. The problem is that the message that come across must of the time is "you don't need anybody, you can be successful by yourself, the world is just there to supply you with the materials you need, etc" The problem is, that is not so. If you go with that attitude that you are superior to the rest of the world, you will never do anything, since everybody needs something from somebody. Want to build a house? Unless you have tons of money, you need a bank. Unless you have a lot of tress, you need to buy wood. Unless you own mines to find the metals, you need a store to buy the pipes, and everything else. Unless you own a piece of land, you'll need to buy one, and even if you own everything I wrote, you need permits to build. So, to tell people that they are individuals in the sense that come across in the book is a lie. Act like you don't need the bank and you won't get the loan. But, if what Mrs. Rand meant was to be yourself, and never letting anyone to alter your goal, then yes, I agree.
The book is not for dummies. Now, you don't need a degree either. You need to be a free thinker to understand it. But the John Galt speech...really? In real life, after 5 minutes half the people would turn off the radio. By the first hour of it, no one would be listening.
All in all, is a good read, but not a great one. Like I said, The Fountainhead is a far better book.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Transformations
Review: This is a book with the power to change the way you view the world. You may love it or hate it, but you will not be the same. A must read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Remarkably Overrated
Review: One phenonmenon which used to baffle me was the immense popularity that quasi-articulate writer-philosopher Ayn Rand seemed to enjoy among young people back in the late 60s, especially given that her novels (and "Atlas Shrugged" is probably the most egregious example), which are little valued among literary academics, were primarily vehicles for propogating her incredibly selfish philosophy of "objectivism" (she named it herself) -- a remarkably atheistic, utterly eogcentric, extremist philosophy which might fairly be described as what some have called "anarcho-capitalism".
I surmise that Ayn Rand gained her phenomenal popularity with younger folks for two major reasons: first, she opposed the Vietnam War; and, second, there were some very energetic and naive student "activist" organizations busy during the late 60s pushing her writings. Also, she became known as a feminist.
I wish that more people would take a little time to review Ayn Rand's (1905-82) biography and her extremist thought, but I suppose that would be asking too much. But, if they did, they would discover that Rand was originally born Alisa Zinovjevna Rosenbaum in Russia and, as a young lady, managed to make her way to America with ambitions of becoming a glamorous Hollywood screenwriter. Perhaps we have here a hint of the angst that later went into her "objectivism" -- she had fled a rigid, communistic, socialistic, totalitarian scene to come as a refugee to the heart of contemporary creative capitalism. She was overjoyed, celebrated all aspects of unbridled, laissez-faire, and became a staunch patriot. All this is reflected in her later novels.
Around 1950, with the assistance of a few supporters and followers, Rand launched a "think-tank" to promote "objectivism". One of the better-known disciples at the time was Alan Greenspan. Others she influenced include people that we might today describe as "neocons".
Rand sold loads of books, and even now, I have read that the sales exceed 500,000 copies per year. One can visit almost any bookstore and discover for themselves that there is no shortage of Ayn Rand books on the crowded shelves, either in the "literature and fiction" aisles or in the "philosophy" sections. When Americans are surveyed about which books are the "best" or the most "influential", Rand works such as "Atlas Shrugged" are inevitably ranked high, usually in the top five. In the meantime, if you ask literary critics and professional philosophers the same thing, Ayn Rand books will frequently not even appear on their lists. I think that this is revealing.