Ideal, Ayn Rand
Ideal, Ayn Rand
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
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Ideal
The Novel and the Play

Author: Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff

Narrator: Christopher Lane, Robin Field

Unabridged: 7 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/07/2015

Synopsis

Author Ayn Rand’s novel Ideal, in print for the first time ever—a landmark event for fans of the groundbreaking philosopherOriginally conceived as a novel but then transformed into a play by Ayn Rand, Ideal is the story of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda. Accused of murder, she is on the run and turns for help to six fans who have written letters to her, each telling her that she represents their ideal—a respectable family man, a far-left activist, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, and a lost soul. Each reacts to her plight in his own way, providing a glimpse into their secret selves and their true values. In the end their responses to her pleas give Kay the answers she has been seeking.Ideal was written in 1934 as a novel, but Ayn Rand thought the theme of the piece would be better realized as a play and put the novel aside. Now both versions of Ideal are available for the first time ever to the millions of Ayn Rand fans around the world, giving them a unique opportunity to explore the creative process of Rand as she wrote first a book, then a play, and the differences between the two.

About Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and came to the United States in 1926. She published her first novel in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success, and her unique philosophy, Objectivism, gained a worldwide following.

About Leonard Peikoff

Leonard Peikoff is universally recognized as the preeminent Rand scholar writing today. He worked closely with Ayn Rand for thirty years and was designated by her as heir to her estate. He has taught philosophy at Hunter College, Long Island University, and New York University. Peikoff for many years lectured on Rand’s philosophy throughout the country. He lives in Southern California.

About Christopher Lane

Christopher Lane is an award-winning actor, director, and narrator. He has been awarded the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration several times and has won numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.

About Robin Field

Robin Field is the AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator of numerous audiobooks, as well as an award-winning actor, singer, writer, and lyricist whose career has spanned six decades. He has starred on and off Broadway, headlined at Carnegie Hall, authored numerous musical reviews, and hosted or performed on a number of television and radio programs over the years.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Amy on January 24, 2020

My first Ayn Rand book and probably my last. This entire story fell flat for me. It was terribly preachy (which makes me wonder how preachy her more famous works are, damn) and it just seems like Rand dislikes “the average person”. I don’t know much about objectivism and I have come to understand thi......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on July 10, 2015

If Dominique Francon wrote fiction, she would write "Ideal". It is much more of a lifeline in today's cynical, modernist culture than it would have been had it been published or produced circa 1934. It gets an extra star for historic and documentary value (comparing and contrasting the two versions......more

Goodreads review by Fred on August 07, 2015

It seems the Ayn Rand worshippers hate this book, and its easy to see why. It shows what a brilliant writer Rand could have been if her later works were untainted by her later craziness. I loved every page of both the novel and the play. Leonard Peikoff's intros were annoying, of course, but I could......more

Goodreads review by Sangeeta on June 21, 2016

What do you think of a book that its own author thought, in more erudite words, was a piece of shit not worth publishing in life? Only an idiot would buy it, am I right? I'm probably a couple of notches above idiot because not only have I bought it, I've paid full price for it. It all started with a......more

Goodreads review by William on August 18, 2015

Typical. I enjoyed the hard-boiled language and the vibe of 30s Hollywood and the movie industry. And by having a female protagonist, you get more of a sense of Ayn Rand's personality. But as with her other stories, this is an incredibly silly book. Kay Gonda encounters her fans, most of whom are li......more

Quotes

“Ayn Rand is destined to rank in history as the outstanding novelist and most profound philosopher of the twentieth century.” New York Daily Mirror, praise for the author

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