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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

If you’re a college professor interested in offering Ayn Rand’s works to your students, the Ayn Rand Institute can help. We have free sets of books available for any purpose provided they are distributed for free to students. Professors have used them as required or supplemental classroom reading, as recommended reading for select students, as gifts for event attendees and as awards in scholastic competitions.

 

PROGRAM PURPOSE

Ayn Rand is one of the most hotly debated thinkers of our era. More than thirty years after her death, her ideas continue to influence today’s key intellectual debates. Rand’s works challenge us to rethink our views on fundamental issues and never fail to stimulate intense discussion among college students. By offering these works for professors to give to their students, we at the Ayn Rand Institute hope to encourage greater awareness and understanding of Rand’s thought-provoking perspective.

6 GREAT EDUCATOR RESOURCES

for teaching Ayn Rand’s novels in college

PROGRAM INFORMATION

  • Professors and graduate students who are teaching at the college level are eligible to receive free books for use with students. Professors and graduate students may also request a review copy of any title being offered.
  • Books are to be distributed to students for free. However, we request that each student receiving a book exchange an email address through which we may supply information about resources of interest. This helps us to understand the impact of our Books program and ensure its continuation. A sign-up sheet that can be returned to ARI will be provided with the books.
  • We encourage those requesting Atlas Shrugged to make their students aware of our Atlas Shrugged essay contest.
  • Professors already receiving funds (be they from ARI, your institution or another organization) for activities that overlap this offer may be ineligible for free books.
  • Our supply of books and funding is limited, and requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We cannot guarantee that each request will be fulfilled.

Here is a sampling of the titles available while supplies last. Please see the request form for the complete list of titles. If you are interested in a book not listed, we will try to accommodate your request.

  • ATLAS SHRUGGED (1957): 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 innovators and industrialists. The theme is “the role of the mind in man’s existence — and, as a corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest.”
  • THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1943): The story of an innovator — architect Howard Roark — and his battle against the tradition-worshiping establishment. Its theme: “individualism versus collectivism, not in politics but in man’s soul; the psychological motivations and the basic premises that produce the character of an individualist or a collectivist.” Ayn Rand presented here for the first time her projection of the ideal man. Roark’s independence, self-esteem and integrity have inspired millions of readers for more than half a century.
  • ANTHEM (1938): This novelette depicts a world of the future, a society so collectivized that even the word “I” has vanished from the language. Anthem’s theme: the meaning and the glory of man’s ego.
  • WE THE LIVING (1936): Set in Soviet Russia, this is Ayn Rand’s first and most autobiographical novel. Its theme: “the individual against the state, the supreme value of a human life and the evil of the totalitarian state that claims the right to sacrifice it.”
  • CAPITALISM: THE UNKNOWN IDEAL (1966): Essays on the theory and history of capitalism, arguing that it is the only moral economic system, i.e., the only one consistent with individual rights and a free society. Includes: “What Is Capitalism?,” “The Roots of War,” “Conservatism: An Obituary” and “The Anatomy of Compromise.”
  • PHILOSOPHY: WHO NEEDS IT (1982): Everybody needs philosophy. That is the theme of this book. It demonstrates that philosophy is essential in each person’s life, and how those who do not think philosophically are the helpless victims of the ideas they passively accept from others. Essays include the title essay, “Philosophical Detection” and “Causality Versus Duty.”
  • THE VIRTUE OF SELFISHNESS (1964): Ayn Rand’s revolutionary concept of egoism. Essays on the morality of rational selfishness and the political and social implications of such a moral philosophy. Essays include: “The Objectivist Ethics,” “Man’s Rights,” “The Nature of Government,” “The ‘Conflicts’ of Men’s Interests” and “Racism.”

FAQ

I’M NOT SURE WHICH TITLE(S) IS BEST FOR MY COURSE. CAN YOU HELP?

Of course! Contact us at education@aynrand.org and we would be happy to discuss this with you. We can even put you in touch with a scholar experienced in teaching Rand’s ideas to discuss incorporating her works in your class. In addition, we can arrange for an expert to visit your classroom by videoconference if you would be interested.

COULD YOU RECOMMEND SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES?

Please contact us at education@aynrand.org and we would be happy to recommend specific resources. We maintain a collection of sample syllabi, and can point you to related books, online talks at ARI’s YouTube channel, and relevant courses at ARI Campus. We may even be able to help you develop specific resources for your classroom, such as question sets.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY SHIPMENT OF BOOKS?

Requests are evaluated and filled on a rolling basis, and typically take 3 – 4 weeks for delivery. We may follow up with you for more information after receiving your request.

FEATURED VIDEO RESOURCES

Ayn Rand Institute | 2021

Ayn Rand’s We the Living and What It Means to Truly Live

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo are joined by Robert Mayhew, professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University and ARI board member, to discuss the enduring relevance of Ayn Rand’s novel We The Living, especially regarding its theme of what it means to truly live.
Watch the episode
Ayn Rand Institute | 2020

Change Your Life. Read Atlas Shrugged.

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Keith Lockitch engage in a spoiler-free discussion of why Atlas Shrugged remains one of the most impactful novels in American literature, why it’s so relevant today, and why everyone should read it.
Watch the episode