Golden Anniversary of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

This year marks the Golden Anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand's monumental achievement--Atlas Shrugged. The novel has been variously described in leading media channels as the most challenging book of ideas in recent history; the most influential book in the lives of Americans--following the Bible; and the beginning of a radically new turn in philosophical thought and tradition.

The Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) describes the novel as "Ayn Rand's masterpiece; it integrates the basic elements of an entire philosophy into a highly complex, yet dramatically compelling plot—set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists. The theme is: "the role of the mind in man's existence—and, as corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest."

A survey conducted by the Library of Congress ranked Atlas Shrugged as the second-most influential book in the lives of Americans; the first was the Bible.

"[S]ales of Ayn Rand titles have tripled since the early 1990s--in fact, more are being sold now than at any time in history. Atlas Shrugged sales on Amazon in the first nine months of this year are already almost double the total for 2006. As of this writing, Atlas ranks 124th on Amazon's sales charts. Compare that to The Da Vinci Code at 2,587.

Rand, an ardent advocate of rational egoism and capitalism, might have been the bane of academics in her lifetime, but now [O]bjectivism is taught at more than 30 universities, with fellowships at several leading philosophy departments. Next year, ARI plans to enter the Washington, D.C., think tank world with a center devoted to the advocacy of individual freedom and capitalism." — Forbes.com

In the University of Texas, Austin, Dr. Tara Smith leads philosophy department's studies in Objectivism--the philosophy of Ayn Rand. The UT Austin Philosophy department ranks among America's top 20 philosophy departments.

"One of the most influential business books ever written is a 1,200-page novel published 50 years ago, on Oct. 12, 1957. It is still drawing readers; [Atlas Shrugged] ranks 388th on Amazon.com’s best-seller list. (“Winning,” by John F. Welch Jr., at a breezy 384 pages, is No. 1,431.) “I know from talking to a lot of Fortune 500 C.E.O.’s that ‘Atlas Shrugged’ has had a significant effect on their business decisions, even if they don’t agree with all of Ayn Rand’s ideas,” said John A. Allison, the chief executive of BB&T, one of the largest banks in the United States. — New York Times

Alan Greenspan, ex-chairman of the Federal Reserve, credits Ayn Rand as his intellectual mentor in his new autobiography The Age of Turbulence. Ayn Rand's ideas enjoy pervasive influence in corporate America and a surprisingly large number of fans in India. Since its publication 50 years ago, more than 30 million copies of Atlas Shrugged are estimated to have been sold. This year, more than 130,000 copies have been sold.

In acknowledgement to Ayn Rand's historic achievement, the Liberty Institute in Delhi is sponsoring celebratory events on Friday, October 12, 2007 to be held simultaneously in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad.

I am organizing and hosting the event in Mumbai in collaboration with Landmark bookstores. Here are the details:

Friday, October 12, 2007
7:00 P.M.
Landmark Bookstores
Infiniti Mall
Andheri Link Road (Lokhandwala)
Andheri - West.

Visit the Atlasphere meta-blog site for in-depth information on this event, including my official announcement and press release. The Atlasphere is an online community of Ayn Rand admirers from around the world, and it has a large subscribership from India. If you are interested in meeting Ayn Rand fans, admirers, and Objectivists from India--for friendship or more--the Atlasphere is where you begin to look.