Published in 1957, Ayn Rand’s monumental novel, Atlas Shrugged, continues to inspire readers with its engaging and principled presentation of her philosophy, Objectivism. With a movie version of the first part of the novel soon to be appearing, now is a good time to share a couple Atlas references and resources I prepared long ago. This information has been unavailable online for nearly ten years.
Atlas Shrugged Table of Contents: I sometimes had trouble finding specific scenes that I knew were in Atlas but didn’t remember exactly where. My detailed annotated table of contents allows you to find specific incidents quickly and easily.
Atlas Shrugged Chronology: A year by year overview of the events of the novel (from ~1600 to 2206). It places the events of the novel (particularly those leading up to the timeframe of the novel itself) into a chronological framework as an aid to understanding the complex world described by Ayn Rand.
About the Atlas Shrugged Chronology: This essay is reprinted from GoodPremises, the newsletter of The Austin Objectivist Society. It provides important context for my Atlas Chronology and explains my thinking. I’ve revised and extended the essay to explain my decision to update the chronology to have the novel begin in 2011.