Objectivist periodicals are a variety of
academic journal
An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...
s,
magazines, and
newsletters with an editorial perspective explicitly based on
Ayn Rand's philosophy of
Objectivism
Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievemen ...
. Several early Objectivist periodicals were edited by Rand. She later endorsed two periodicals edited by associates, and a number of others have been founded since her death.
Periodicals edited by Ayn Rand
![Ayn Rand (1957 Phyllis Cerf portrait)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Ayn_Rand_%281957_Phyllis_Cerf_portrait%29.jpg)
From 1961 to 1976, Rand was publisher and editor (sometimes co-editor) for three different periodicals: ''The Objectivist Newsletter'', ''The Objectivist'', and ''The Ayn Rand Letter''. In addition to editing, Rand wrote many articles for these publications.
''The Objectivist Newsletter''
The first Objectivist periodical was ''The Objectivist Newsletter'', a four-page newsletter that began publishing in January 1962. The newsletter was co-published by
Ayn Rand and
Nathaniel Branden
Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal; April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate and romantic partner of Ayn Rand ...
and grew out of the previous success of the
Nathaniel Branden Institute
The Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI), originally Nathaniel Branden Lectures, was an organization founded by Nathaniel Branden in 1958 to promote Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. The institute was responsible for many Objectivist lectures and ...
(NBI), which Branden had founded in 1958 (originally as Nathaniel Branden Lectures) to promote Objectivism. By late 1961, NBI had accumulated a mailing list of over 10,000 people, which was used to announce the newsletter.
A number of different writers contributed articles to ''The Objectivist Newsletter'', including
Martin Anderson,
Barbara Branden
Barbara Joan Branden (née Weidman; May 14, 1929 – December 11, 2013) was a Canadian-American writer, editor, and lecturer, known for her relationship and subsequent break with novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.
Life
Born in Winnipeg, Barbara Weid ...
,
Edith Efron
Edith Efron (; 1922 – April 20, 2001) was an American journalist and author.
Biography
Efron was born in New York. Graduating from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where Efron studied under journalist John Chamberla ...
,
Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He works as a private adviser and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. ...
,
Robert Hessen
Robert Hessen (born 1936) is an American economic and business historian. He is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a senior research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. He is an Objectivist and has ...
, and
Leonard Peikoff
Leonard Sylvan Peikoff (; born October 15, 1933) is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is an Objectivist and was a close associate of Ayn Rand, who designated him heir to her estate. He is a former professor of philosophy and host of a natio ...
. However, the majority of the articles were written by either Ayn Rand or Nathaniel Branden.
In 1965, Rand and Branden decided to change the format of the publication. In October 1965, they announced that ''The Objectivist Newsletter'' would become ''The Objectivist''. This was purely a change of name and format, with business operations, including subscriptions, continuing unchanged.
''The Objectivist''
In January 1966, ''The Objectivist'' replaced ''The Objectivist Newsletter'', with Rand and Branden continuing as co-editors. The renamed publication used a sixteen-page magazine format in place of the previous newsletter format. The number of subscribers continued to climb, reaching 21,000 by the end of 1966. Contributors during this period included
economists
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He works as a private adviser and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. ...
and
George Reisman
George Gerald Reisman (; born January 13, 1937)"George Gerald Reisman" (2002), ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, Retrieved on January 18, 2007. is an American economist. He is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Pepperdine University and the ...
, historian
Robert Hessen
Robert Hessen (born 1936) is an American economic and business historian. He is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a senior research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. He is an Objectivist and has ...
,
neurophysiologist Robert Efron, novelists
Erika Holzer and
Kay Nolte Smith
Kay Nolte Smith (July 4, 1932 – September 25, 1993) was an American novelist, essayist, and translator. She was for a time friendly with the philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand, who was her leading literary and philosophical influence.
Smith was ...
, and philosopher
Leonard Peikoff
Leonard Sylvan Peikoff (; born October 15, 1933) is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is an Objectivist and was a close associate of Ayn Rand, who designated him heir to her estate. He is a former professor of philosophy and host of a natio ...
.
In August 1968, Rand broke off her relationships with both Nathaniel and Barbara Branden. Nathaniel Branden resigned from ''The Objectivist'' and signed over his half of the magazine to her.
In the May 1968 issue, which appeared at this time because the magazine was then behind schedule, Rand issued a public statement denouncing the Brandens and disassociating herself from them. From this point forward, Rand acted as the sole editor for the magazine, bringing in Peikoff as an associate editor.
In 1971, Rand decided on another format change, going back to a newsletter style publication, in the hope that this would allow her to reach a larger audience.
The final issue of ''The Objectivist'' was published in September 1971.
''The Ayn Rand Letter''
In October 1971, Rand began publishing ''The Ayn Rand Letter''. This new publication was produced in the style of a typewritten letter and was published
fortnightly
A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights).
Astronomy and tides
In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is ha ...
. Rand's initial hopes for reaching a wider audience with the newsletter format were not fulfilled. The ''Letter'' actually lost subscribers compared to ''The Objectivist'', largely because of the ''Letters higher subscription price. The newsletter was usually four or six pages long with a single major article per issue, plus occasional announcements and the continuing "Objectivist Calendar" entries. Rand wrote most of the articles herself, in addition to acting as editor and publisher. Leonard Peikoff served as a contributing editor and wrote the articles for six of the newsletter's eighty-one issues.
Beginning in 1973, outside circumstances began to cause delays in production. In March 1973, Rand discovered that a sister she believed to have died was in fact still alive and in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. Rand worked hard to arrange a visit to the United States for her sister. When her sister finally arrived, their reunion turned into fighting over political and philosophical differences. As Hessen described it, "This incident, stretching across eight months, took a heavy toll on her writing and publication schedule, which allocated no time for unexpected interruptions." Several issues of the ''Letter'' published during this period bore a postscript: "This ''Letter'' was written later than the date that appears on its heading."
Rand attempted to bring the ''Letter'' back on schedule, but further delays occurred when she was diagnosed with
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
. Each issue continued to bear the date when it should have appeared on the original fortnightly schedule, with the "written later" postscript.
By the middle of 1975, issues were appearing eight months behind schedule, with the issue dated August 26, 1974 actually being written in May 1975. In that issue, Peikoff announced that the ''Letter'' would become a monthly publication, rather than fortnightly. Rand was unable to sustain this schedule either, and announced at the end of 1975 that the newsletter would cease publication. The final issue appeared in February 1976. It was the last periodical that Rand edited, although she did serve as an adviser to ''
The Objectivist Forum
Objectivist periodicals are a variety of academic journals, magazines, and newsletters with an editorial perspective explicitly based on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Several early Objectivist periodicals were edited by Rand. She later ...
'' when that magazine began in 1980.
Article reprints
The articles from Rand's three periodicals did not appear only in their respective pages. They were frequently reprinted as pamphlets. Initially these were sold by the NBI Book Service, an affiliate of the
Nathaniel Branden Institute
The Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI), originally Nathaniel Branden Lectures, was an organization founded by Nathaniel Branden in 1958 to promote Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. The institute was responsible for many Objectivist lectures and ...
. When NBI and its affiliates were closed in 1968, a new Objectivist Book Service began selling the reprints. The Objectivist Book Service later sold reprints from ''The Ayn Rand Letter'' until shortly after that publication was discontinued.
In addition to pamphlets, many articles from these periodicals also appeared in books. Articles from ''The Objectivist Newsletter'' by Rand and Nathaniel Branden made up most of the content for ''
The Virtue of Selfishness
''The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism'' is a 1964 collection of essays by the philosopher Ayn Rand and the writer Nathaniel Branden. Most of the essays originally appeared in ''The Objectivist Newsletter''. The book covers ethical ...
''. Rand's next book, ''
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal'', included articles from her and Branden, plus Greenspan and Hessen. Reprints of Rand's articles also appeared in ''
The Romantic Manifesto
''The Romantic Manifesto: A Philosophy of Literature'' is a collection of essays regarding the nature of art by the philosopher Ayn Rand. It was first published in 1969, with a second, revised edition published in 1975. Most of the essays are rep ...
'', ''
The New Left'' (later revised as ''Return of the Primitive''), ''
Philosophy: Who Needs It'', and ''
The Voice of Reason''. The content of Rand's ''
Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology
''Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology'' is a book about epistemology by the philosopher Ayn Rand (with an additional article by Leonard Peikoff). Rand considered it her most important philosophical writing. First published in installments in ...
'' was serialized in ''The Objectivist'', and the published book also includes an article by Leonard Peikoff reprinted from that same magazine. Peikoff's articles for ''The Ayn Rand Letter'' were material later incorporated into his book ''The Ominous Parallels''.
In 1969, a brief dispute arose between Rand and Nathaniel Branden, over the use of some of his articles from ''The Objectivist''. The copyrights for the articles had been registered in the name of the magazine. When Branden signed over his interest in the company to Rand, he believed they had an understanding that he could re-use the material in his articles for his planned book, ''
The Psychology of Self-Esteem''. Rand threatened to withhold her consent to use the material, but took no action when Branden's publisher decided to go forward anyway.
All three of the periodicals edited by Rand were later published in hardcover collections by Palo Alto Book Service. In 2001, all the articles by Rand and Peikoff were incorporated into the ''Objectivism Research CD-ROM'', a searchable e-book of their writings (which was subsequently discontinued).
Other Objectivist periodicals
''The Intellectual Activist''
![Peter Schwartz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Peter_Schwartz.jpg)
''The Intellectual Activist'' (TIA) was founded in 1979 by
Peter Schwartz. It was subsequently edited by Robert Stubblefield (1991–1996) and then by Robert Tracinski. From 1985 onward, TIA was aligned with the
Ayn Rand Institute
The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism, commonly known as the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Santa Ana, California, that promotes Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand ...
, but in 2005 Tracinski stopped working for the institute, citing internal disputes about political issues as one of his reasons. TIA ceased publishing as a print issue and published only as an online newsletter called ''TIA Daily''. In 2012, Tracinski changed its name to ''The Tracinski Letter''.
''The Objectivist Forum''
''The Objectivist Forum'' was an Objectivist bimonthly journal published from February 1980 through December 1987.
Rand helped establish it and served as its philosophic consultant until her death in 1982.
Harry Binswanger was publisher and editor; Peikoff served as consulting editor.
''The Objective Standard''
''The Objective Standard'' is a quarterly
journal
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
on culture and politics founded by Craig Biddle and Sidney J. Gunst Jr. in 2006, which describes itself as providing "commentary from an Objectivist perspective." Biddle serves as editor for ''The Objective Standard''. Several fellows from the Ayn Rand Institute, such as
Yaron Brook
Yaron Brook ( he, ירון ברוק; born May 23, 1961) is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, writer, and activist. He is an Objectivist and the current chairman of the board at the Ayn Rand Institute, where he was executive director from 2000 to ...
,
Andrew Bernstein,
Tara Smith,
Elan Journo, and
Alex Epstein, have written for the journal.
''The Undercurrent''
''The Undercurrent'' was founded in 2005 but has been inactive since 2019. It was available at college campuses and other outlets. It was a student-run, 8-page quarterly that applied the philosophy of Objectivism to current events.
Others
Other Objectivist periodicals include ''Full Context'', ''Objectivity'', and ''The New Individualist''.
In 1988, Karen Reedstrom (later Minto) began publishing a newsletter for the Objectivist Club of Eastern Michigan. In 1990 the newsletter became ''Full Context'', which billed itself as "An International Objectivist Publication." The magazine was published until October 2000. Contributors included
Chris Matthew Sciabarra
Chris Matthew Sciabarra (born February 17, 1960) is an American political theorist based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the author of three scholarly books—''Marx, Hayek, and Utopia''; '' Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical''; and ''Total Freedom: T ...
and
Tibor Machan, and the magazine published a number of interviews with people associated with Objectivism, including
Barbara Branden
Barbara Joan Branden (née Weidman; May 14, 1929 – December 11, 2013) was a Canadian-American writer, editor, and lecturer, known for her relationship and subsequent break with novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.
Life
Born in Winnipeg, Barbara Weid ...
,
Nathaniel Branden
Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal; April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate and romantic partner of Ayn Rand ...
,
Erika Holzer, and
David Kelley
David Christopher Kelley (born June 23, 1949) is an American philosopher. He is a professed Objectivist, though his position that Objectivism can be revised and influenced by other schools of thought has prompted disagreements with other Objec ...
.
See also
*
Bibliography of Ayn Rand and Objectivism
This is a bibliography for Ayn Rand and Objectivism. Objectivism is a philosophical system initially developed in the 20th century by Rand.
Works by Rand
The lists below provide information on Rand's major works and collections. Where there are ...
* ''
The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies
''The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies'' (JARS) is an academic journal devoted to the study of Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Established in 1999, its founding co-editors were R. W. Bradford, Stephen D. Cox, and Chris Matthew Sciabarra. A ...
'', an independent journal that discusses Rand and her ideas.
References
Works cited
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External links
Full ContextThe Intellectual ActivistThe Objective StandardThe Objectivist ForumObjectivity
{{Ayn Rand, state=autocollapse
Periodicals