Little here worthy of recommendation
I've read Ayn Rand's essays, non-fiction collections, novels, and other fiction, as well as substantial commentary about those works, and came away from this volume having encountered hardly anything worth recalling. There are some informative comments from contributing essayists who knew her. George Reisman reports on a conversation with her (pgs. 45-46), but also writes of his memories of Alan Greenspan as well (endnote 6 to pg. 47). The volume's editor, Tibor Machan, recalls his meetings with Ayn Rand. (He refers the reader to another book of his for details.) Roderick T. Long hasn't comparable experiences, but uses his knowledge of Ayn Rand's works and the philosophy of India to provide specific contrasts.
Too often, the essayists reveal limited knowledge about the writer whose work they are covering. On page 1, the listing of Ayn Rand's non-fiction lists neither "The New Left: the Anti-Industrial Revolution" nor its revised edition, "Return of the Primitive." The list has "Why Businessmen Need Philosophy" but lists its date as "(1961)," which is well-off, whether this is intended to refer to an essay within it or the collection as a whole. Another contributor refers to "her essay 'The Virtue of Selfishness,'" although that is the title of an anthology, not of a specific essay. (pg. 32)
I didn't notice an eloquent formulation in the entire book.
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I reviewed several books related to Ayn Rand.
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