Ayn Rand Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Standalone Plays

Publication Order of The Ayn Rand Library Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Ayn Rand was one of the popular authors of the literature, fiction, nonfiction, and philosophy genres. She was a Russian-born American author, who has written a couple of bestselling novels in her career, along with several other successful novels. Apart from being a famous novelist, Rand was also a playwright, screenwriter, and philosopher. She was also very famous for creating a philosophical team that she called as Objectivism. The two of the most successful novels written by author Rand include Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Rand was born on February 2, 1905, in St. Petersburg, Russia; and died on March 6, 1982, in New York City, New York, United States. She was born, raised, and educated in Russia, and they moved to The United States in the year 1926. During the time period between 1935 and 1936, Rand had produced a play on Broadway. Her initial stint as a writer did not play well as the first couple of novels of her went unsuccessful in America. But, author Rand achieved fame as a novelist with her 1943 novel titled The Fountainhead.

This was followed by her best known work in the year 1957 titled ‘Atlas Shrugged’. After her initial success with these two novels, author Rand decided to shift her focus towards nonfiction works in order to promote her philosophical beliefs. At that time, she began publishing her magazines on her own and also releasing a few essay collections all the way till her death in the year 1982. Through her philosophical teachings, author Rand advocated the only means to acquire knowledge is by reasoning. She did not have much support for religion and faith. Rand firmly supported ethical and rational egoism, did not approve altruism in her beliefs. Even in politics, she used to condemn the force initiation, as immoral and opposed statism, anarchism, and collectivism. Author Rand was a great supporter of capitalism. She defined it to be a system based on the recognition of the individual rights. After shifting her interests towards art, author Rand greatly promoted the romantic realism. She was very much critical about the philosophical traditions that she knew as well as the philosophers, except Aristotle and some classical liberals.

The fictional works of author Ayn Rand were received with mixed reviews by the literary critics. Her philosophies also did not receive much attention and praise at that time, in fact, they were mostly rejected or ignored. However, the academic interests have begun to increase during the recent times. Through her Objectivism movement, author Rand has attempted to spread her ideas both in the academic settings as well as for the public. She is believed to have had a significant influence among the American conservatives and libertarians. Author Rand’s writings and philosophical beliefs have been influenced by the works of some prominent personalities of her time, including John Locke, Victor Hugo, Aristotle, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Thomas Aquinas, Isabel Paterson, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Ludwig von Mises, Fredreich Nietzsche, etc. As far as the career of author Rand as a screenwriter is concerned, she was able to sell her first screenplay in the year 1932. When Rand moved to America, she settled in Hollywood. At first, she learned the English language as she was a Russian, and then began working in a wardrobe department. She used to write her novels and screenplays mostly during the night time. After years of hard work and dedication, author Rand was able to receive success both in her life and her multiple careers.

One of the initial novels written by author Ayn Rand was released under the title ‘The Fountainhead’. It was published by the Mass Market paperback in 1953. This book’s story revolves around the prominent characters named Peter Keating, Dominique Francton, Howard Roark, and Ellsworth Toohey. The setting of the story is done in New York City, New York, United States. With the publication of this novel, author Rand attempted to spread her philosophical beliefs of Objectivism through her literary vision. She became quite successful in doing so as the novel began to receive worldwide acclaim and interest. The main story of this book is about a young intransigent architect, who violently battles against the conventional standards. Even his explosive and difficult love affair with a gorgeous woman is depicted in the book, in which his lovely lady struggles to win over him. The latest edition of the novel also contains a special mention by the literary executor of author Rand, named Leonard Peikoff. The special mention consists of several excerpts from the handwritten notes of author Rand, which she prepared during the making of the book. In the end, the novel looks pretty much fresh as it was at that time, and depicts the story of a hero and the people around him who try to defeat and destroy him every time they got a chance.

The other initial novel written by author Ayn Rand was published under the title ‘Atlas Shrugged’. This novel was released by the Plume publishing house in 1957. The story of this novel is set around the central characters such as John Galt, Francisco d’Anconia, Hank Reardon, Dagny Taggart, and James Taggart. At the start of the novel, it is shown that a man tries to stop the world’s motor and becomes successful in doing so. Now, whether he should be considered as a liberator or a destroyer, is the question that the readers are required to answer for themselves after reading the novel. Throughout the course of the novel, the question keeps on circulating as to why the lead character had to fight against the ones who needed him and not against his enemies? As he moved ahead in his attempts, he also had to fight against the lady that he loved very much, which proved to be the hardest battle for him. The answer to all the questions can be answered only after discovering the reasons behind the intriguing events that take place in the lives of the characters of the novel and create havoc. The novel shows tremendous scope about the human life’s panorama and depicts the life of a genius who goes on to become a spoiled playboy. The other characters described in the book include an industrialist, who does not realize that his works are going to cause his destruction; a music composer who destroys his career on the very night of his success; a philosopher, who goes on to become a pirate, etc. The novel is actually a philosophical revolution by author Rand, described in the form of a thriller. She has warned the readers before reading the book to be prepared to check the roots of their convictions.