Atlas Shrugged is #1

[Jonathan]

I wasn't online much yet back in 1998 when Random House/Modern Library asked readers to vote for their favorite novels of all time, but since then, I've heard the results of the first place position cited repeatedly by Objectivists. They've never seemed to mention, however, that The Fountainhead, Anthem and We The Living are also in the top ten, or the fact that L. Ron Hubbard has three books in the top ten, or that the list of nonfiction favorites is also dominated by Objectivish books.

So, my question is, was anyone here online and visiting O'ist fora at the time? Was it an organized voting campaign, or was it more of a casual passing on of the information that a list of readers' favorites was being compiled and that you could vote as many times as you liked? Was a running tally being displayed while voting was going on, creating a Scientologists vs O'ists showdown?

J

[Peter Grotticelli]

1998 was only the very beginning of the rise of the Internet. I suggest that voters had never read better books. A similar inquiry is, "Why did so many of the 20th century's greatest achievements come from Rand's ethnic fellows?" I likewise suggest that the world had never seen better minds.

[Jonathan]

I did a little Googling and found this, which is a little harsh toward the end, but not completely inaccurate.

I had forgotten that there was a separate survey in which "Atlas Shrugged was named second only to the Bible as the most influential book in Americans' lives."

I wonder if anyone has been influenced by these claims of the popularity and influence of Atlas Shrugged, or if most people immediately conclude that Rand's fans are about as religious in their zeal as Christians and Scientologists.

J

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Jonathan,

On Richard Lawrence's site, Objectivism Reference Center, he covers this question. See here from the "Atlas Shrugged FAQ".

6.4 Is it true that Atlas Shrugged is the second most influential book ever written?

No one knows exactly how influential Atlas Shrugged is, because there has never been a proper study done to check. The "second most influential" claim comes from a Survey of Lifetime Reading Habits conducted in 1991 by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Library of Congress. Printed surveys were sent to members of the Club, asking them what books had most influenced their own lives. A little over 2,000 responses were received. The Bible ranked first, and Atlas Shrugged ranked a distant second. Because the survey targeted an audience of book lovers (members of the Club) and an active effort was required to mail in a response, it is likely that the results were skewed towards people who were influenced especially strongly by a particular book. Such a result cannot be reliably interpreted as reflecting the entire US population, although enthusiastic promoters of the novel sometimes make such claims. (The survey is also often inaccurately described as a "poll" or "study," and various incorrect sources are cited for it.)

Similar concerns affect a more recent list to an even greater degree. In 1998, book publisher Random House ran an online vote asking readers to name the "best" English-language novels of the 20th century. Atlas Shrugged placed first in this vote, with Rand's other novels placing high on the list as well. However, there was a considerable amount of campaigning by special-interest groups to promote particular authors and books. There were also only limited controls to prevent repeat voting and other "ballot stuffing" techniques. In the end, the results probably reflected the intensity of feeling among the most highly motived voters as much or more than the breadth of support for any of the top vote-getters.

Because of the limitations of these surveys, some critics attack them as "invalid" or "unscientific," but that isn't entirely accurate. The survey results are legitimate as long as one understands their biases and limitations. They reflect the strength of influence that the books listed have had on the specific groups involved in the surveys. What is invalid and unscientific is to attempt to generalize the findings beyond those groups without accounting for the skewed participation.

Michael

[Chris Grieb]

Michael;

I don't vote and wasn't asked but if I had been I would have picked Atlas.

The Bible coming if first should come as no surprise. For many the Bible is the safest choice.

I wish such a survey had been taken in the 40ths, 50ths and 60ths and what the results would have been. I suspect the Bible would have come out on top in each decade.

Edited August 1, 2007 by Chris Grieb

[Jonathan]

Thanks for the links, MSK. Lawrence's answer to the question of AS's influence and popularity is exactly what I've suspected whenever I've heard people repeating the results of the surveys. I'd guess that most people who hear the claims don't buy into them either.

J