Below The Beltway

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Atlas Shrugged and, over at RealClearPolitics, Robert Tracinski has an excellent essay on the historical significance of the novel, and the ideas that it embodies:
The most radical aspect of Atlas Shrugged is that Ayn Rand found suspense, heroism, and profound philosophical meaning in the achievements of [...]

As the 50th anniversary of the publication of Atlas Shrugged, Robert Stacey McCain of the Washington Times notes that the book itself has had far more influence on modern libertarians and conservatives than many wish to admit at this point:
The novel is almost universally cited as an influence among leading free-market advocates, said Brian Doherty, [...]

The YouTube Version

The New York Times has a surprisingly positive piece today marking the upcoming 50th anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand’s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged:
One of the most influential business books ever written is a 1,200-page novel published 50 years ago, on Oct. 12, 1957. It is still drawing readers; it ranks 388th on Amazon.com’s [...]

Through eleven volumes and nearly 100 years of alternate history, Harry Turtledove has been writing the story of a North America quite different from the one that we’ve lived in.
It’s a world in which the Confederacy won the Civil War in 1862 thanks to a twist in history. In our world, just prior to the [...]

If you were in school in the 70’s or 80’s, you probably read, at some point, A Wrinkle In Time, the story of two children who take a journey through time and space to find their missing father. It was on the reading list in English class one of those years for me, and it [...]

Back in June, it seemed as though the efforts to bring Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged to the big screen were on the shelf.
Now, Variety is reporting that a new director has been named and the project seems to be moving forward:
Lionsgate has brought on Vadim Perelman to rewrite “Atlas Shrugged” and direct Angelina Jolie [...]

According to a new poll, one quarter of Americans didn’t pick up a single book in the past year:
There it sits on your night stand, that book you’ve meant to read for who knows how long but haven’t yet cracked open. Tonight, as you feel its stare from beneath that teetering pile of magazines, know [...]

They are refusing to stock the O.J. Simpson book “If I Did It” in their stores:
NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re hoping to buy the new edition of O.J. Simpson’s ”If I Did It,” don’t expect to find a copy at Barnes & Noble.
Citing a perceived lack of customer interest, the chain said the book [...]

Harry Turtledove that is:

I’m already at Chapter III.