.jpg) Cover of the first edition | |
| Editor | Michael S. Berliner |
|---|---|
| Author | Ayn Rand |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Dutton |
Publication date | 1995 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 720 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-525-93946-6 (hardcover) |
| OCLC | 31412028 |
Letters of Ayn Rand is a book derived from the letters of the Russian-born American writer and philosopherAyn Rand. It was published in 1995, 13 years after Rand's death. It was edited by Michael Berliner with the approval of Rand's estate.
When Rand died in 1982, the materials in her estate included copies of over 2,000 letters written by her between 1926 and 1981. Berliner selected "approximately 35 to 40 percent of the total" for publication.[1] He also edited the letters to remove "less interesting material", such as opening and closing statements or apologies by Rand for not writing someone sooner after they had written her.[2] Discussing the letters in the context of a later controversy over the editing of Rand's publishedjournals, historianJennifer Burns affirmed that Berliner had only omitted material rather than changed the content.[3]
The hardcover edition ofLetters of Ayn Rand was published byDutton in 1995. A paperback edition was published byPlume in 1997.
The organization of the letters is largely chronological, but specific sections are dedicated to Rand's correspondence withFrank Lloyd Wright,Isabel Paterson andJohn Hospers. An appendix provides a form letter that Rand sent to many fans ofThe Fountainhead who had written her. Rand's heir,Leonard Peikoff, provides an introduction.
At the time of its release, about a dozen publications reviewedLetters of Ayn Rand, according to theAyn Rand Institute. The reviews were mixed.[4]
InThe New York Times Book Review,Christopher Cox, then a member of theUnited States House of Representatives, gave the book a positive review. He said Rand's letters were "an important part of Ayn Rand's intellectual contribution" that are "filled with flashes of emotional insight, surprising facts and unintended humor."[5] This was the first positive review of one of Rand's books inThe New York Times Book Review since 1943.[4]
Another positive review came from Rand scholarChris Matthew Sciabarra. Writing inReason magazine, he predicted that Rand's letters would "delight and sometimes shock readers", and said "what is most startling about the collection is how well it humanizes Ayn Rand."[6]
Liberty magazine editorR.W. Bradford found the book interesting and said it "allows the reader to see glimpses of the real woman and her development as a thinker and writer."[7] However, he described Berliner's editing as "inept"[8] and Peikoff's introduction as "uninformative".[9] He said Rand wrote relatively few letters for a significant literary figure, and suggested Berliner held back potentially interesting letters for fear of upsetting Rand's "self-made myth," which Bradford considered "inexcusable".[8]
InThe Washington Post,Jeffrey Frank described the book as "ultimately tedious". He said her earlier letters are "considerably more interesting than the later ones", which include "an endless amount of whining about various publishers, her detailed responses to editors' suggestions, her hectoring assertions of her beliefs."[10]
InNational Review,Florence King said the "book reeks of the sycophancy that Miss Rand always inspired" and noted several letters attacking theNational Review itself, "the magazine she loved to hate".[11]
Objectivist magazines praised the book, with one saying, "in her letters we learn more of the style of her soul",[12] while another called the book "the next best thing" to knowing Rand personally.[13]
In a review for theLos Angeles Daily News, Scott Holleran called the book "a treasure chest" in which "Rand emerges as a passionate thinker".[14]
Other reviews included a review byClaudia Roth Pierpont inThe New Yorker,[15] and reviews inBooklist,[16]Choice,[17] and theRichmond Times-Dispatch.[18]
Rand scholars writing about the book some years later also expressed mixed opinions.Mimi Reisel Gladstein complimented the "uncommon variety of letters" included, saying it "allows the reader access to the many facets of Rand's private and public personae."[19] However, she noted a mistake regarding Rand's birthday at the beginning of the book, and included it among several posthumous books approved by Rand's estate that "have not always exhibited a confidence-inspiring level of academic rigor."[20] Jennifer Burns said scholars can use the material in the book, but indicated the material omitted by Berliner includes items "of high interest to the historian" so that "important insights can be gleaned only from the originals."[3]