What did Rand read?
The accusation is sometimes made that Rand did not read philosophical or intellectual works from other writers. One critic went so far as to declare that she “read almost nothing but detective novels.”[*] Such claims are exaggerated at best. Although Rand apparently did not read extensively in contemporary academic philosophy, she clearly read much more than “detective novels.” Nor can it be said that she did not ready any contemporary academic philosophy, since she read such works by Brand Blanshard, John Hospers, John Herman Randall, and W.T. Stace. Works that Rand is known or believed to have read (from various biographical sources) are cataloged on the What Ayn Rand Read page. They include books on philosophy, history and economics, as well as a few detective novels.
