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First edition of one of the most influential novels of the twentieth century. Large octavo, original green cloth, spine stamped in black and gilt. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Lieutenant ColonelÂHerman V. Frey - my 'commanding officer' on the occasion of the most thrilling engagement of my speaking career - Thank You - AynÂRand 5/7/74." Ayn Randâ s speech to the graduating class of the United States Military Academy at West Point on March 6, 1974, titled Philosophy: Who Needs It, was a landmark moment both for her and for the institution, as she was the first woman ever invited to speak at West Point. Prior to the address, she was given a personal tour of the Academy by Lieutenant Colonel Herman V. Frey, who introduced her to the campus and its cadetsâ "an experience that helped shape her understanding of her audience. In her speech, Rand vigorously defended the essential role of philosophy in human life, arguing that everyone operates according to philosophical premises, whether they recognize them or not. She warned the cadets against the uncritical acceptance of prevailing ideas and singled out what she termed the â Kantian-Hegelian-collectivist establishmentâ as the dominant force in American cultural institutionsâ "an influence she viewed as hostile to reason, individualism, and liberty. This rhetorical stance, foundational to her Objectivist philosophy, anticipated many of the ideological clashes that would later define the American â culture wars.â ÂNear fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by George Salter. Housed in a custom clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional inscription, one of the finest and warmest we have seen. â From 1943 until its publication in 1957, [Rand] worked on the book that many say is her masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged. This novel describes how a genius named John Galt grows weary of supporting a society of ungrateful parasites and one day simply shrugs and walks away. He becomes an inspiration to like-minded men and women, all of whom eventually follow his example, until society, in its agony, calls them back to responsibility and respect. Again [as with Randâ s novel The Fountainhead in 1943] reviews were unsympathetic, and again people bought the bookâ (ANB). The theme of Atlas Shrugged, as Rand described it, is "the role of man's mind in existence." The book explores a number of philosophical themes that Rand would subsequently develop into the philosophy of Objectivism. By 1984 more than five million copies of Atlas Shrugged had been sold, and in a 1991 Library of Congress survey Americans named it second only to the Bible as the book that had most influenced their lives. It is the basis for the trilogy of film adaptations subtitled Part I (2011), Part II (2012), and Part III (2014).
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