In 1999, Peter Lang Publishing Group put out Tibor Machan's fine little book on Ayn Rand, and it was my privilege and pleasure not only to get to preview the book and offer pre-publication comments, but also to write a blurb for the event of the book's publication. Here is the text of that blurb:

If Ayn Rand is to have anything beyond a cult following - that is, to have the deepest possible impact on Western culture - I think that two things must happen: (1) bright, talented, academic philosophers must see the merit in her system and generate their own extensions, applications, even corrections to her thought; and (2) wise and well-versed academic philosophers must act as a bridge between the Randian movement and the world of academic philosophy, explaining to academics how the perennial, as well as current tricky issues, can profitably be dealt with using some of her insights and explaining to those in the Randian movement how the system and its credibility can be enhanced and improved by squarely facing and successfully navigating some of the stiffest challenges from academics.

During my thirty-year acquaintance with Machan's work, I have seen him labor mightily in both arenas, but I think that his forte truly is with the latter. He is a communicator, bridge-builder, and, above all, a 'field marshall' of ideas. He is erudite as well as eclectic, and knows where to go and whom to utilize in making the best case or effectively exposing a shortcoming in some argument or position, whether in Rand's philosophy or her critics. This becomes quickly apparent to the thoughtful reader of Machan's chapters on Rand's epistemology and ethics.

Academics who want to sweep Rand's system under the rug will not be interested in Machan's book--Randians who prefer a pristine, Crusoe-like isolation of her system from the rest of Western culture will not like it either. But to those from either arena who want to unify and lift up the culture, Machan's book is an important step forward in the kind of guidance needed. (Roger E. Bissell, Musician and Philosopher)

The designation of me as being anything more than a musician was not my idea, but I kind of liked it. :-)

REB