softwareNerd Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Is there a Chinese or Russian edition?There are Chinese editions of the following: Atlas Shrugged The Fountainhead Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology Why Businessmen Need Philosophy Huaxia Publishing For the New Intellectual The Voice of Reason The Ayn Rand Column Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanjos Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 #1 !!!!! In the US now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skap35 Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 #1 !!!!! In the US now. Where are you seeing that? When I looked just now it was #36. I'm trying to get my wife to read Atlas Shrugged but she doesn't want to because she thinks it will piss her off. (She hates anything politics right now because it makes her depressed...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 The real question is what if any effect the increase in sales will mean... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rearden_Steel Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Where are you seeing that? When I looked just now it was #36. At least Obama's book(s) is off the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastian Hayek Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 There are Chinese editions of the following: Atlas Shrugged The Fountainhead Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology Why Businessmen Need Philosophy Huaxia Publishing For the New Intellectual The Voice of Reason The Ayn Rand Column Wow. I did not know that. So these books are not illegal in China? There might be hope. The real question is what if any effect the increase in sales will mean... Some of the readers might become more interested in Objectivism. Some might be conservative and stay that way, because they don't grasp anything. Some might even become Objectivists. Others will get depressed and buy something funny next time. After all, it also means more money for the ARI, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capitalism Forever Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Wow. I did not know that. So these books are not illegal in China? There might be hope. Yes, Dr. Brook once explained that the Chinese decided not to ban them because they did not criticize the Chinese government. (If you ever need to give someone an example of the concrete-bound mentality, this is a perfect one!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) Also, from what I remember, most Chinese book publishers are government-affiliated entities. I would not be surprised if some editors genuinely liked Rand's books, while others simply thought "yeah, we want to understand how this Capitalism scam works". A sidenote: CNBC just did a report on book sales at Borders. (Not Atlas, but sales as such.) Book-sales are down (not a surprise for a "bricks" chain). However, romance novels are selling like hot-cakes! Harlequin's sales are up 32% year over year. Interviewing some women buyers, their anecdotal conclusion is that women are turning back to romantic novels, seeking a world-view of hope and happiness in these economically uncertain times. Feel free to jump to other conclusions A market for a version of Fountainhead with a "hot" cover, that can occupy some shelf-space next to the Harlequins? Edited April 9, 2009 by softwareNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeganSnow Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) softwareNerd, that's hysterical. Edited September 30, 2010 by softwareNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristotlejones Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) Yes, Dr. Brook once explained that the Chinese decided not to ban them because they did not criticize the Chinese government. (If you ever need to give someone an example of the concrete-bound mentality, this is a perfect one!) Same reason that the Italian Fascists allowed We the Living to be made as a movie. Until someone pointed out the obvious flaw in their ignorance. Then it was banned. However, romance novels are selling like hot-cakes! Harlequin's sales are up 32% year over year. Interviewing some women buyers, their anecdotal conclusion is that women are turning back to romantic novels, seeking a world-view of Cheaper kindling? Is there a Chinese or Russian edition? I would think those are forbidden by the authorities, there might be some on the black market. Impossible to get numbers, isn't it? I know for a fact that there is at least one copy of Atlas in the Ukraine, formerly a Soviet satellite state. Back during the cold war, our local scifi club was trading books with one in the Ukraine. I mailed them a care package of a collection of scifi books, but took the cover off one of the appropriate thickness and glued it onto Atlas. It got through customs because they sent a puzzled note wondering if we'd made a mistake. I'm sure someone read it, cuz not soon after the wall actually did fall down and the Ukraine has been struggling for true independence ever since... <*>aj Edited April 9, 2009 by aristotlejones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Mac Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 I'm trying to get my wife to read Atlas Shrugged but she doesn't want to because she thinks it will piss her off. (She hates anything politics right now because it makes her depressed...) Well, I can't blame her for being sick of politics right now. Tell her it has hot, sex scenes in it and to focus on the philosophy, not politics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 (edited) CNN reported the story of Atlas's sales Edited April 19, 2009 by softwareNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted April 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 (edited) "Conservative philosophy"... then the Limbaugh connection... then the interview with the clueless dolt at CAP... then Greenspan's guilt-by-association... They did more work in putting it down than actually figuring out what the book and philosophy are about. Investigative journalism at its best! Edited April 19, 2009 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 "Conservative philosophy"... then the Limbaugh connection... then the interview with the clueless dolt at CAP... then Greenspan's guilt-by-association... They did more work in putting it down than actually figuring out what the book and philosophy are about. Investigative journalism at its best!Ha! ha! yes, they tried their best, but I think -- on balance -- it still falls into the category of negative publicity that one would prefer over silence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.S Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 Soundbite from the redhead about capitalism, summed up as: "people cannot take care of themselves without the government". Usually I like redheads.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 It was great to see Yaron Brook in there, so it wasn't entirely bad, but overall I didn't like it that much. I guess I'm becoming spoiled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastian Hayek Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Yes, it's interesting that these books are all floating way near the top of the list. If you look at the "Customers who bought this also bought..." for Atlas Shrugged, you'll see Paine's work and The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes both in the list, and they're both high up on the bestseller list right now. So people are going to the AS page, most likely, and buy it in addition to the other recommended reading on that page. This shows more than just a passing interest in the book - people want to know more and actually understand. There are many books getting a boost from Obama: Obviously, Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny, and Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. But also Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom, and Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. And Amity Shlaes’ The Forgotten Man. Others? UPDATE: Reader Michael Nevers writes: “Heinlein’s Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I’ve read suggestions to read it recently in Tea Party comment threads, so I did. Decent book on the whole and wonderful for something written in the 60’s.” ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Alan Martin writes “Common Sense is #44 at Amazon.” And reader Doc Duke writes: “The 5000 Year Leap, both the original edition, and the 30 year anniversary edition.” MORE: Reader John Richardson writes: “My vote for a book that is doing well in sales due to Obama would be James Wesley, Rawles’s “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.” According to Amazon.com, it is #13 in Contemporary Fiction and #5 in Mystery and Thrillers. Not bad for a book that is coming from a small press with very little publicity other than in forums and blogs.” Yeah, but kinda depressing given what it’s about. Source: Instapundit I hope the Ayn Rand Institute gets a boost, too. Not only from book sales, but in the long run from increased manpower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cousin Dave Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I read somewhere that Atlas Shrugged has been selling an average of 150,000 copies a year on Amazon for the last 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted April 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 (edited) Why is it that the top-selling AS paperback repeatedly appears and disappears from search results? For the longest time it was missing, and only briefly did it reappear. Now it's missing again. Conspiracy theories, anyone? Edited April 27, 2009 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Andrew Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Why is it that the top-selling AS paperback repeatedly appears and disappears from search results? For the longest time it was missing, and only briefly did it reappear. Now it's missing again. Conspiracy theories, anyone? The Illuminati don't want to become too conspicuous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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