| | Linz,
All cards -- most definitely --should be on the table, so I'm happy to answer it again, and in even greater detail for you.
I met Leonard in the early 80s when I was studying at NYU. I was then a Libertarian working weekends at LaissezFaire Books, and at the time also taking classes taught by such brains as Murray Rothbard (through the Center for Libertarian Studies) and Israel Kirzner. I would have to say that I hardly knew Peikoff when, in the late 80s, I was invited (I honestly don't know why) to participate in the weekly seminar he gave at his home in Southern California. We had the good fortune to read his masterful treatise OPAR before it was published. This was part of his very extensive editing process for the book -- discussing it essentially line-by-line with us gave HIM more ideas than we were able to input, I'm afraid. He dubbed us his "Class of '91." This seminar continued for a while even after the book was released, since he wanted to discuss many new interests like poetry and drama. And these were absolutely electric evenings!
But these seminars had stopped and I had not seen Leonard for some time when Holly and I invited him to participate in Ideas in Action. THAT was a blast! Holly and I also married about this time and Leonard attended one of the after-parties at my mother's home in Del Mar, California. (Ironically, in the same living room where, years earlier, Nathaniel Branden had waited to be taken to the premiere of his speech, "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand.")
But, after that, I really didn't see Leonard for some time. It had been a few years, actually, when I first decided to release the first version of what became the first half of the book on the Internet, through the good graces of Mr. Fahy. I knew well Leonard's position on discussion of the Brandens, so Leonard was not involved in any way. I'd really "lost touch" with him in any event. During the year that it was posted, what was then a series of essays underwent certain tweeking due to the critical engagement that it generated. Indeed, the reaction was such that I decided to take it down for possible publication as a book.
It was only a couple of months after it had been taken down that I got a phone call from Leonard that quite surprised me. A "friend" (I still don't know who) had downloaded it and sent it to Leonard, it seems. "Why didn't you tell me about this, Jim?" "Well, you weren't my target audience, and, well, I knew how you felt about the idea of this kind of project..." "To be honest, Jim, when I first saw it, I said, 'Am I going to have a fight with Valliant now?'"
He read it all, he said, and told me that I would be "amazed" at how accurately I "got things," if only I could read Rand's notes on Mr. Branden. He offered them to me, telling me to use as much of it as I liked. I was later given full access and permission to use any of the materials at the Ayn Rand Archive. No strings attached. Though I offered more than once, he refused any royalty, fee, anything, for the use of Rand's notes. He never asked for any control over the project and did not even read the whole thing until after its publication and release earlier this year. It was I who declined his offers of any further help on the project.
I would describe my relationship with Leonard as that of teacher-grateful student. Although I've enjoyed many delightful personal experiences with him, and he has been the source of enormously helpful advice, alas, I cannot call him a close friend.
Though "friendly" we have always been.
BTW, I've never been affiliated with ARI.
(Edited by James S. Valliant on 9/19, 9:45am)
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