About The Robert Mayhew Essay Collections on Ayn Rand's Novels

The Ayn Rand Institute is bringing online scores of in-depth historical, literary and philosophic essays on Ayn Rand’s novels. These essays — originally included in four scholarly books edited by Robert Mayhew — will be accessible to anyone, anywhere on the globe, for free.

Interest in Ayn Rand is not only growing in the United States, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Now, everyone seriously exploring Rand’s ideas can freely read these insightful essays. Many of the essays make extensive use of previously unpublished material from the Ayn Rand Archives and promise to greatly enhance online exhibits such as “Blueprints for The Fountainhead.”

The first book in the series was Essays on Ayn Rand’s “We the Living” (2004; expanded 2012), followed by Essays on Ayn Rand’s “Anthem” (2005). Next came Essays on Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” (2007) and Essays on Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” (2009). The books feature contributions from some of the world’s most knowledgeable Objectivist scholars: Leonard Peikoff, Onkar Ghate, Tara Smith, Tore Boeckmann, Shoshana Milgram, Gregory Salmieri, Allan Gotthelf, Darryl Wright and others. Each volume is unique, but there are commonalities — each contains essays on Rand’s creative process, her literary influences and inspirations, the novels’ publishing and adaptation histories, comparisons to other fiction, and deep analysis of important themes and characters.

Education is core to ARI’s mission. A significant number of contributors to these books are members of the Ayn Rand University faculty. The essays from the Mayhew books have the power to greatly enrich the public understanding of, and appreciation for, Ayn Rand as a novelist and a seminal philosopher.