Very few novels have stood the test of time. This year marks a venerable exception to this axiom, with the fiftieth aniversary of the first publication of Ayn Rand's groundbreaking novel Atlas Shrugged, which has never been out of print since its inititial publication. Hugely popular among literature and philosophy buffs alike, it has meant many different things to many people over the years. To some, it is just an entertaining story with fascinating characters and plot twists, while to others it is the cornerstone of their business, political, economic, and life's philosophy.
One such man, Dr. Edward Younkins of Wheeling Jesuit University, has long argued the merits and deeper meaning of Ayn Rand's ideas and Objectivist philosophy, which was laid out so completely in her culminating work, Atlas Shrugged. While Dr. Younkins has authored other works on related ideas, he may well consider this his crowning achievement. Few have understood this complex and artistic work with the depth and breadth of Dr. Younkins, and he has worked with many of the worlds leading scholars, authors, philosophers, businessmen, and educators to compile thirty six different essays on various aspects of Atlas Shrugged. Each contributor has laid out in easily understood form a different aspect of Atlas Shrugged and its significance to the human condition.
Dr. Younkins has then organized each of these separate works into a comprehensive companion, designed to help anyone understand the deeper truths Ayn Rand worked so hard to articulate to those who are willing to look. After reading Dr. Younkins' companion compilation, it is clear to anyone why the works of Ayn Rand have had such staying power and influence over the best and brightest minds of our age, from such minds as Alan Greenspan all the way down to the causal reader just looking for a good story. Anyone wanting to expand their knowledge and understanding of this classic work need look no further.
