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Irvine, CA—Since the publication of Ayn Rand’s first novel, We the Living, 72 years ago, sales of her books increased exponentially, having recently reached the mark of 25 million copies, a staggering figure considering the length of her two major novels and the philosophical nature of their themes and ideas. We the Living, whose theme Ayn Rand described as “the supreme value of a human life and the evil of a totalitarian state that claims the right to sacrifice it,” had a small initial printing of three thousand copies. The novel, which tells the story of three individuals facing an… Read More »Sales of Ayn Rand Books Reach 25 million Copies

From the Myrtle Beach Sun News —  BB&T gifts with Ayn Rand requirements draw criticism at schools: Recommended Reading: Hostile-To-Reason Academics Fear Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged by Craig BiddleAre the sweating academics concerned that students who read Atlas will no longer fall for the canards of skepticism, mysticism, and collectivism?Charlotte Observer Editorial Opposes Academic Freedom Regarding BB&T Grants by Craig BiddleFor the Charlotte Observer to suggest that BB&T somehow has or seeks the final say regarding the content of university curricula is absurd.

AUSTIN, Texas — BB&T Corporation, one of the nation’s largest banks, has awarded $2 million to the Department of Philosophy at The University of Texas at Austin to establish the BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism. Tara Smith, professor of philosophy, has been named the first holder of the chair. Over 10 years, the gift will support research on Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, as well as conferences, workshops, guest lecturers, visiting scholars and research on the moral foundations of capitalism. Smith spearheads Objectivism scholarship in the university’s philosophy department. She has published several articles on Rand’s philosophy and… Read More »BB&T Donates $2 Million for Ayn Rand Research At The University of Texas at Austin

IRVINE, CA–With a shipment of 80,000 books in January, the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) has placed more than 1 million copies of Ayn Rand’s novels in the hands of high school teachers and their students across North America. This astounding number of books has been provided for free by ARI, over the last six years, to high school teachers in the United States and Canada, as part of its mission to promote Ayn Rand’s ideas in today’s culture. According to Marilee Dragsdahl, ARI’s education manager, “Since we began this program in 2002, we sent teachers about 600,000 copies of Anthem,… Read More »One Million Ayn Rand Novels in Classrooms This Year

Through a special arrangement with the publisher, the editor and the Estate of Ayn Rand, ARI has received permission to present The Ayn Rand Lexicon—now available in its entirety, free of charge, to Web visitors. Edited by Harry Binswanger, and with an introduction by Leonard Peikoff, this important book presents all of the key ideas of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, in an encyclopedic reference of stunning breadth and depth. From the back cover: A prolific writer, best-selling novelist, and world-renowned philosopher, Ayn Rand defined a full system of thought—from epistemology to aesthetics. Her writing is so extensive and the range of issues she covers so… Read More »The Ayn Rand Lexicon: Now available free on the web!

IRVINE, Calif.–Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged” is the subject of a new exhibit to open on October 8, 2007, at the Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Library. Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the novel’s publication, the exhibit is jointly sponsored by the Los Angeles Public Library and the Ayn Rand Institute, and is curated by Jeff Britting, archivist of the Ayn Rand Archives, a special collection of the Ayn Rand Institute. The exhibit will include a reception open to the public on the date of the novel’s fiftieth anniversary, October 10, 7 pm, as well as four public talks devoted… Read More »The Ideas of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”: A Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibit

Ayn Rand: A Legacy of Reason and Freedom by Michael BerlinerBorn 100 years ago in Holy Mother Russia and educated under the Soviets, Ayn Rand became the quintessential American writer and philosopher, upholding the supreme value of the individual’s life on earth. She herself led a “rags to riches” life, wrote best-selling novels that championed individualism, and developed a philosophy of reason that validates the American spirit of achievement and independence. The Appeal of Ayn Rand by Onkar GhateIdeas Matter. Ayn Rand’s Testimony Before The House UnAmerican Affairs Committee by Ayn RandYou have no idea what it means to live in a… Read More »Happy Birthday Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand on the Republicans (Hat Tip: HBL): “The Conservative Party is not an American political party, it’s a religious party. That’s a phenomenon which is, strictly speaking, forbidden by the Constitution. You’re free to have any religion you wish; you’re forbidden to bring it into politics–i.e., to use it by force, to establish it by force, and force it on other people. There can be no such thing as a religious political party, but there is– only, not officially. All right, the best thing you can do for capitalism is to defend it against religion, because religion fundamentally, philosophically,… Read More »Ayn Rand on Conservatism

Next summer, Objectivist Summer Conference 2007 will present a new lecture series by Leonard Peikoff, presenting a detailed examination of his forthcoming book, The DIM Hypothesis. For a limited time, as a prelude to this event, we are able to present to you, free of charge, a streaming audio recording of the original lecture series, delivered in 2004, in which Dr. Peikoff gave the first detailed presentation of his exciting new theory. Listeners are invited to experience this course as a document of the early development of Dr. Peikoff’s latest work. Streaming audio links for the course can be found online… Read More »Leonard Peikoff’s The DIM Hypothesis available for free at aynrand.org!