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Atlas Shrugged | 
 enlarge | Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Signet
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy Used: $3.65
You Save: $3.34 (48%)
New (1) Used (21) Collectible (2) from $3.65
Avg. Customer Rating:  1528 reviews
Sales Rank: 132366
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7 x 5 x 1
ISBN: 0451168283
EAN: 9780451168283
ASIN: 0451168283
Publication Date: July 1, 1959
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.
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Book Description
At last, Ayn Rand's masterpiece is available to her millions of loyal readers in trade paperback.
With this acclaimed work and its immortal query, "Who is John Galt?", Ayn Rand found the perfect artistic form to express her vision of existence. Atlas Shrugged made Rand not only one of the most popular novelists of the century, but one of its most influential thinkers.
Atlas Shrugged is 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 stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of man's spirit.
* Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club
Download Description
Who is John Galt?This famous rhetorical question rings through Ayn Rand's best-selling novel as the people's anthem of despair in depressed economic times. Set in the future, the novel follows capitalist magnates as they battle looters, strikers, and the impending ruin of the United States' economy. The romantic and intellectual relationship between Dagny Taggart, the heroine, and John Galt, whose identity as the leader of the strike is eventually revealed, carries the novel to its climax. This novel, controversial when it first appeared in 1957, purports Rand's objectivist philosophy that the individual is free to pursue his or her own happiness without bowing to God or society. Objectivism in action upholds full laissez-faire capitalism as the only philosophy that can protect humankind's freedom to think, to be inventive, and to live productively.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1523 more reviews...
The philosophy makes the book work. August 29, 2008
The importance of this book rests in two areas. First, on a base level, are the characters. There is a clear divide between most of the life-affirming and destructive characters in the book: People like Dagny Taggart, Hank Rearden, Eddie Willers, and others on one side and sneaky characters like Jim Taggart, Dr. Ferris, and Orren Boyle on the other. They anchor the book. However, what makes the character list more interesting are those who you don't truly know on which side they will go, such as Dr. Stadler, Cheryl, and the "Wet Nurse." These are the most interesting to watch because they fall the most in the middle of character development, influenced heavily by both their attitudes and the worlds in which they live. For example, Stadler seems to want to be happy (as in watching the billy goat), but believes his course is stuck in one way and can't be changed (as seen with Project X).
More importantly, the philosophy divulged in the book is what makes it work. It's a book where the idea seems to be in existence and leaves it for the characters to discover or ignore, instead of the characters creating the ideas themselves. Thus, a good portion of the book is taken up with philosophical discussions and monologues. They can be a bit long, but they are very detailed and interesting to read. If there is anything on the philosophy with which I disagree, it's the route Rand takes to describe it. We should work for our own happiness, but I think that all lives are equal , and that the argument should have rested more on doing what makes our lives and the ones of those we love better. She makes allusions to this at times (most notably, in the discussion between Hank Rearden and Francisco D'Anconia at the steel mills), but I wish there had been more.
I have two issues. One is the descriptions she gives when discussing characters, especially in the romantic scenes. I hade heard about the forcefulness of the sex scenes, and I was a bit startled by it. I also believe that the language tends to read like a Fabio-like romance novel in its description in these sections. Also, Ayn Rand can be a bit preachy in discussing her beliefs. I stated earlier the thoroughness of the philosophical discussion, but there are times when she goes into overkill; the long monologue near the end of the novel (about 60 pages in this version) is a good example.
However, it is an engrossing novel and a very influential one. Every time I have read it (whether I agreed with sections or not), I feel invigorated and want to do something immediately afterwards. The influence comes from giving one the confidence and comfort to not be afraid to experience (as she states it) "the joy of existence" and not be afraid to succeed.
 Amazing book August 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Easily the best book I've ever read. Don't let the length scare you off, it's well worth it.
South Park Inspired Me to Read Atlas Shrugged! August 25, 2008
An episode of South Park inspired me to read Atlas Shrugged. In the episode in which Officer Barbrady finally learned how to read (The Chicken Plucker, I believe) he ended the show on a note that the book he had chosen to read (Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand) was "garbage" and not worth the read. I had actually never heard of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand until I saw that episode. So, naturally, I decided I must find it and read it. Then I forgot all about it until I spied a like-new hard backed copy at the local library on the For Sale table for $1.00!! I bought it and started to regret the challenge when I looked at the tiny print and the 1168 pages. I sat it aside for a few weeks, thinking, "yeah, right, I'm going to read that". But, the challenge niggled at me and I began to read - and read - and read.
I understand that Ayn Rand's uptopia is peopled by those with a pragmatic objectivism philosophy, which some reviews consider to be selfishness. I didn't get the selfishness part as such. I interpreted her objective in writing this book as being AGAINST Socialism. I felt this was demonstrated by the entire society's falling apart by all those that had made it having to give all they had to all those that hadn't made it. As the thinkers and doers lost more and more of their livlihood to those contributing nothing at all and taking all that they could - these people formed a new society on the premise that you should do no work you do not love and you take absolutely nothing without paying for it in some way. Therefore, everyone contributes to their society and that society becomes strong. The original society was coming apart at the seams and eventually totally collapsed without the giants of industry to do everything for them. Individuals in the original society were not allowed to think, nor did they want to. I did NOT enjoy John Galt's Manifesto (Part 3, Chapter 7 "This is John Galt Speaking", pages 1000 - 1070 in my particular book). After reading the chapter in its entirity, I seriously would recommend skipping about 68 pages of that chapter. It's a drone and you'll get the point in the first 2 or 3 pages of that chapter, anyway!
This book seemed overwhelming in length and breadth, initially. But, I am glad that I read Atlas Shrugged, because it really does make one think. Think about things such as we have been under a President for almost 8 years that doesn't seem to want to think and our country and even the world seems to be in a really sorry shape. I kept thinking, as I was reading the book, that perhaps the current administration had read this book and were trying out for the parts of the political system described within. Heaven Help US!
 Good idea, bad delivery. August 22, 2008
Pro: pro-capitalism
CON: way too long and verbose -- it almost seems as if Rand tried to squeeze in as many words as possible
No matter how true or right or great an idea or message is, if one fails to convey it in a succint and memorable manner, it's worthless. In retrospect I would just read the cliff notes for this treatise. Also, just like for the KJV Bible they have made Living and NIV versions in modern day language, the publisher of Atlas Shrugged needs to revamp it into a 21st century version -- they can use Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Meg Whitman for the protoganists. (Ok fine someone with more aesthetic appeal than Meg Whitman.)
Great delivery from seller... August 19, 2008
Extremely prompt delivery from seller. As for the book, haven't read this 1200 page beast yet, but am looking forward to the exercise for the mind.
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