Suggested Reading

This reading list is intended as a suggested sequence of books and essays for those who are interested in Ayn Rand’s ideas and want to read further, but aren’t sure where to start or how to proceed. This is by no means a comprehensive or definitive list of the Objectivist literature. For a complete listing of books by and about Ayn Rand, visit the Ayn Rand Bookstore.

1. The Fountainhead
2. Atlas Shrugged
3. “Philosophy: Who Needs It” in Philosophy: Who Needs It
4. “Philosophy and Sense of Life” in The Romantic Manifesto
5. “For the New Intellectual” in For the New Intellectual
6. “Introduction” and “The Objectivist Ethics” in The Virtue of Selfishness
7. “The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made” in Philosophy: Who Needs It
8. “Causality Versus Duty” in Philosophy: Who Needs It
9. “The Ethics of Emergencies” in The Virtue of Selfishness
10. “The ‘Conflicts’ of Men’s Interests” in The Virtue of Selfishness
11. “Doesn’t Life Require Compromise?” in The Virtue of Selfishness
12. “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?” in The Virtue of Selfishness
13. “The Cult of Moral Grayness” in The Virtue of Selfishness
14. “Man’s Rights” in The Virtue of Selfishness
15. “The Nature of Government” in The Virtue of Selfishness
16. “What Is Capitalism?” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
17. “‘Extremism,’ or The Art of Smearing” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
18. “The Roots of War” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
19. “Conservatism: An Obituary” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
20. “Racism” in The Virtue of Selfishness
21. “The Cashing-in: The Student ‘Rebellion’” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
22. “The Anti-Industrial Revolution” in Return of the Primitive:The Anti-Industrial Revolution
23. “The Psycho-Epistemology of Art” in The Romantic Manifesto
24. “Art and Sense of Life” in The Romantic Manifesto
25. Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff

Through a special arrangement with the publisher, the editor and the Estate of Ayn Rand, ARI has received permission to present The Ayn Rand Lexicon now available in its entirety, free of charge, to Web visitors. Edited by Harry Binswanger, and with an introduction by Leonard Peikoff, this important book presents all of the key ideas of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, in an encyclopedic reference of stunning breadth and depth.