Atlas Shrugged or Fountainhead?

Which would you recommend me to read first? having been interested in O'ism for a while now I've decided to see if these books are deserving of such praise many claim they are.

Post 1

Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 2:30pm

My opinion is that The Fountainhead is the best one to read first. I think that the theme of individualism and living for one's own passions vs. living secondhand and for what others believe is something that every person can immediately relate to, whereas some of the themes in Atlas are more abstract. So, I always suggest to people I want to introduce Ayn Rand to that they read The Fountainhead.

Post 2

Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 2:39pm

Definitely read "Anthem," "The Fountainhead," and then "Atlas Shrugged," in this order. You will understand "Atlas" much better if you have read "The Fountainhead" first.

Post 3

Monday, January 17, 2005 - 12:14pm

I like Atlas much better myself, but as far as a first read, Fountainhead may be a better choice simply because it is shorter. I am speaking from experience here. I bought my brother a nice hardcover addition of Atlas Shrugged as a graduation gift a couple of years ago. He never got past the first chapter and he uses it as a doorstop. I'd love to use his head as a doorstop. Isn't that what family is for?

I don't know if the Fountainhead would have fared any better. These books are just too darned long for most people. I would probably suggest they read For the New Intellectual as an introduction, and there is always the powerpoint presentation of Atlas on my site at http://www.wheelerdesignworks.com or Cliffnotes...

Post 4

Monday, January 17, 2005 - 2:55pm

I've always liked 'For the New Intellectual' as a starter non-fiction book.

The first book I read was Atlas Shrugged, and while I thought it was a cool book, it didn't teach me a thing about the philosophy until I happened across some of her non-fiction books 10 years later. Those are what aroused my curiousity.

Craig (Houston)

Post 5

Monday, January 17, 2005 - 6:39pm

I recommend We the Living as the best starting point to introducing individuals to Ayn Rand and Objectivism.

Post 6

Monday, January 17, 2005 - 10:11pm

I read the Fountainhead first and that was in the 9th grade. Later I took one look at the size of Atlas Shrugged and put that off for a few years.

Post 7

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 12:55pm

Although I read, in this order - Atlas Shrugged then Anthem then The Fountain Head then (now reading) We the living. I recomend reading We The living first.

We the living is the least abstract, it is very concrete. Atlas Shrugged is the most abstract and the most demanding intelectually.

If you want to climb the intelectual ladder, start with We the living. If you want to be slapped in the face with a truck (intelectually) read Atlas Shrugged.

Post 8

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 3:17pm

Everyone has to find their own way. But I do think starting with Atlas Shrugged is a mistake. The Fountainhead is much easier. If you prefer fiction go with We The Living or Anthem.

The Romantic Manifesto is a good place to start with the philosophy books. Take your time and have fun! Consider Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics also.

Post 9

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 10:06pm

William, I read them in the exact same order you did.

Perhaps because I was an entrepreneur, reading Atlas first made (and still makes) a greater impact on me than the others. I'm not sure that We the Living would have sparked me the way Atlas does, though I think that in intellectual order her fiction books are We the Living, Anthem, Fountainhead and Atlas.

I agree, however, that everyone has to find his own way. That's actually the point, in the end. ;)

Post 10

Friday, January 21, 2005 - 10:44am

I read Atlas Shrugged first, then Fountainhead and then Anthem - the opposite to Adam's suggestion and have no regrets. However, I know of many that have started AS and never finished - so the shorter books are probably a good recommendation generally. However, if you're already partial to objectivist ideas, start with AS even if it takes a few months, as it makes the point best.

Post 11

Friday, January 21, 2005 - 6:18pm

I actually "discovered" Rand twice. I read about one hundred pages of The Fountainhead in 8th grade and put it down. I devoured Atlas in about a week as sophomore in high school.

Jim

Post 12

Sunday, January 23, 2005 - 7:39pm

It's been a lot of years since I read We the Living, but from what I remember it would not make that great an introduction to Objectivism because it is not a book of ideas the way The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are. (It certainly is an eye-opening first hand look at what it really means to live under Communism.)

I would say the Fountainhead is more accessible than Atlas Shrugged and would make the better introduction.

If you start with Atlas Shrugged, be warned there is a 60-page radio speech near the climax of the book in which Rand lays out the essentials of Objectivism. This may be heresy, but I suggest skipping the speech and getting on with the story. You can always go back and study the speech later.

Also, don't be put off by stories of people who started one or the other and couldn't get through them. They're good, enjoyable books. That's why they were best sellers!

Post 13

Monday, January 24, 2005 - 6:18pm

The Fountainhead all the way. It has a universal, psychological theme that is likely to grab an independent mind�and who else is open to Ayn Rand�s views anyway? We the Living has a merely sociopolitical theme, an area of thought that many good minds avoid, and its ideas are not much worked out in any case. Atlas Shrugged hits a great many levels and issues at once, despite the fact that it has a single theme, and may not appeal to as many people with no Rand reading under their belt. I think Anthem is not representative or intellectual enough as an introduction to Ayn Rand.

Post 14

Monday, January 24, 2005 - 7:01pm

Although I read "Atlas Shrugged" first - and it was all I needed to blow my socks off - I'd recommend "The Fountainhead" as a first read. It's my favourite book. As a novel, it reads better - while still containing all the essential philosophical themes.

I'd never recommend starting with a non-fiction Rand work. Why? Because the essence of her ideas is best expressed via her fiction - as it gets into your mind in a way that non-fiction is unable to achieve. You can read the non-fiction titles later.

I actually browsed "Capitalism the Unknown Ideal" about 6 months before I read Atlas. But I was unmoved. All it really achieved was to put the name "Ayn Rand" in my memory.

Post 15

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - 5:26am

The Fountainhead did it for me, from the very first sentence.

Post 16

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 3:16pm

Jennifer -

I had the same experience with Atlas - the entrepreneur in me was transfixed from page one.

But my first read was Capitalism: The Unkown Ideal - which overhauled my brain with perspectives on issues that i'd never thought of before, i was so refreshed that i went and got Anthem & Atlas Shrugged a few days later.

You can't get past Atlas in terms of challenging an individuals beliefs...

Post 17

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 4:21pm

I guess I came about it backwards! I read a fair portion of her non-fiction (For the New Intellectual and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal) BEFORE reading the fiction. I read Atlas first, the the Fountainhead. I thought Fountainhead had more realistically drawn characters and was more believable. I liked Atlas better because of its epic scale and because the stakes were so high. They are both on my 're-read' list.

Post 18

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 11:33pm

Scott, Atlas is on my re-read list every summer. It is my way of going back to the Gulch.

What I find fascinating is that each time I read it, I take away something I hadn't noticed before. This year will be the 8th time I've read it in its entirety, but I have revisited certain passages many times when trying to solve a puzzle in my own mind. Francisco's money speech has been invaluable to me on a number of occasions. ;)

Post 19

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 11:38pm