Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN num: 9780451191144
ISBN number: 0451171926
Label: Signet
Manufacturer: Signet
Page Count: 1096
Printing Date: March 03, 1992
Publishing house: Signet
Sale Popularity Level: 9854
Studio: Signet
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Product Description:
Published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged was Ayn Rand's greatest achievement and last work of fiction. In this novel she dramatizes her unique philosophy through an intellectual mystery story that integrates ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, politics, economics, and sex.
Set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life-from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy...to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction...to the philosopher who becomes a pirate...to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad...to the lowest track worker in her train tunnels.
Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller.
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Rated by buyers 
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It starts out slow due to the extensive character development, but when it gets going, wow. This book really changed my understanding of my own motives in life. The "morality" of Ayn Rand's philosophy is earth shattering. The story really helps you grasp her message. It's great to finally read a novel that has a real point.
I've recommended this book to all my friends and family who aren't already too far gone...
I'm not really hard on paperbacks at all, but by the time I was done with this edition, the binding was barely still in one piece. It's a really thick book which hasn't been a problem for me before, but this one wasn't made well. I recommend a hardback, or maybe try a different edition paperback.
Rated by buyers 
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Whether you agree with Ayn Rand's philosophy or not, Atlas Shrugged is an excellent book in its own right. It is written masterfully with twists and turns everywhere. Her characters are strong and very well written. Her style of writing can get a tad wordy, and some chapters can be bit lengthy, but writing style works very well for this kind of Novel. The book is a monster, with over 1,000 pages it takes a while to get through as well as fully understanding everything that Ayn Rand is saying about the story and her Lifelong philosophy, Objectivism.
Ayn Rand presents her philosophy through her characters very well, something that a lot of writers can't do very well. Some of her characters represent Capitalism while others represent socialism. And then some, of course, represent her main philosophy. Personally, I enjoyed trying to predict who supported what, and who was a "bad guy" and who was a "good guy" And Rand's writing either gave it away or left me stunned, waiting for more answers. The twists and Turns in the story really helped the book read like a story, instead of on essay on a certain philosophy. In Atlas Shrugged there are plenty of these little twists and turns every chapter which really helps normally boring parts of a book go very fast.
I would recommend the book to anyone who wants a bit of a different take on Life. While I personally don't agree with what she says, the books themes are eerily similar to what is happening in today's world. I enjoyed every twist and turn and overall it was a great book (even if it is made up of several books). Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rands masterpiece and it is pretty apparent why, it combines every element that a good story should have and while it has a few flaws it is a good read on a philosophy that isn't really talked much about.
Rated by buyers -
If any book has taught me anything valuable, this would be the very very first book that comes to mind. This book brings to light the dangers of excessive regulation and the virtues of hard work and doing well for oneself.
I would say that while Ms. Rand's lessons about life are timeless and ingenious, she tends to not let the story speak for itself. Her constant use of metaphors and tiny details really show this. Like, for instance, Ms. Dagny Taggart (the heroine of the book) will walk "with confidence" while her villain brother James' walk would be like walking off a cliff without a parachute. The skies are bright around Dagny; James' are anything but. I thought such tidbits took away from the essence of what Ms. Rand was conveying.
While this book goes on for 1069 pages, taken as a whole, ATLAS SHRUGGED is a thought-provoking book that challenges established conventions about greed, welfare, rationality, and mysticism. It is an uninhibited novel and one may not agree with it all or even some. But my advice is to take the challenge and open one's mind in a way he/she may never have done before. I am glad I did.
Rated by buyers -
`Atlas Shrugged' follows the lives of great Americans as their country deteriorates from a capitalist democracy into a socialist communism. It is not a joy ride. In fact, it is a grueling, plodding process, filled with convolutions, and ultimately ending in a chaotic mess. But the story shows us how such a disaster might occur and thus grants us a tool for avoiding it. Meanwhile, the book plunges headfirst into man's all-time greatest political, cultural, and spiritual challenges, offering a fascinating look at each if not quite resolving any of them.
The central challenge focuses on where virtue is lodged. Is it in the Self or in Society as a whole? It is a staggering question when one really thinks about it and Rand sets up scenario after scenario to help us think about it, pitting a troop of protagonists for the Self against an army of antagonists for the Society.
Of course, Rand has reached her conclusion before we sink our teeth into the question. Those for the Self are confident, logical, productive, and industrious while those for Society are pathetic, lazy, tetchy, and smarmy. There really is no question about which is right when you look at it through these characters and so there really is no conflict.
This is unfortunate because people on both sides have good, well-founded arguments. Simply writing off all socialists as crass nincompoops may feel right to the capitalist, but it does nothing to resolve the differences between the two sides and certainly doesn't help the case for self-interested industrialism. Nor can one say that all capitalists have the virtuous motives that Dagny and Rearden maintain. There are those who support the free market and industrialism for the wrong reasons, and neglecting that fact limits the effectiveness of the argument. In the end, a conflict between two reasonable foes is much more entertaining than a conflict between a master and a fool anyway.
Rand sees things characteristically in grey and white; there are no shades of gray. At least, the grays that do pop up in this book are cut down by one of the two sides of the conflict. Such absoluteness defies modern standards of literature and many a grain of salt must be consumed while reading `Atlas'.
Granting it is in the Classical style, one can really enjoy the book for what it is. And it is Classical in every sense of the word. The story is heroic--you can take your pick among her many heroes and heroines although only one stands out as the flawless kind. Like a good Homeric epic, the narrative is long-winded and repetitive. One walks away with useful if silly clichés--`who is John Galt?', `looters', `A is A'. Actions are deliberate and spelled out for the reader and every action is related to the lesson being told with nothing irrelevant coming into view. And finally, the characters are very one-dimensional with no development or change whatever. These are charming aspects that can be appreciated by those willing.
Less forgivable are the inconsistencies that arise in the philosophy. Rand is making a case for self-interest, but throughout the book one will find instances where the protagonists seek validation from others, often to the deprecation of the self. The most notable example of this is in the romantic relationships. The two love each other and will do anything for the other person even if that means becoming vulgar animals and sacrificing the integrity of one's work. The couple receives selfish pleasure from the affair, but it comes at the expense of self-dignity.
Rand eliminates the only true way to resolve this inconsistency (is it a contradiction?) by rejecting the ultimate reason for romantic relationships: procreation and raising a family (completely absent from the book). This is the inevitable consequence of fusing self-interest with atheism. When there is nothing to strive for but material gain, the world necessarily becomes a contradiction. One fights the immoral with immorality and gains the respect of others by denigrating them.
The latter is actually a central theme in `Atlas'. Indeed, the protagonists who despise the masses require their patronage to be successful. Industry in general is worth-while only if there are other people willing to buy the product and enough people to make it useful. Even when it is not explicit, the need for validation is present. The driving force of the book, the strike, is designed to force other people to behave properly so that the protagonists can succeed. John Galt's speech is accusatory and insulting, underscoring the negative tone of the book. His purpose (as is Rand's) is to crush the looting society, which is rational because of the burden it places on the producers. But in the end, that purpose relies on there to be a society to crush--it relies on other people.
By the time Rand endorses coercion in the most direct manner (use of guns and ... Read More
Rated by buyers 
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Great book, but beware - The paperback version has type so small, you'll need a magnifying lens to read it!
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