# Lifestyles & Discussion > Family, Parenting & Education > Books & Literature >  Is Atlas Shrugged being blacklisted by Wikipedia?

## RCA

Even Ron Paul says that Atlas Shrugged may be the second most read book ever, so where is Atlas Shrugged?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books

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## IPSecure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged

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## RCA

I meant from that list specifically.

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## Rael

Well the Library of Congress listed is as the second most influential book in the world. Not sure about sales.

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## silverlinkx2

I sincerely doubt it is either the 2nd most read book or the 2nd most influential book. I sincerely doubt it breaks the top 10.

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## Conza88

> I sincerely doubt it is either the 2nd most read book or the 2nd most influential book. I sincerely doubt it breaks the top 10.


Have you read it?

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## silverlinkx2

No but I know how popular it is among RP fans and college people in general, I just know its not THAT popular. 

I would say the two most influential books are the Bible and Koran respectively.

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## Pennsylvania

> I would say the two most influential books are the Bible and Koran respectively.


Seconded

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## buck000

From http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1231...googlenews_wsj :

"But as recently as 1991, a survey by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club found that readers rated "Atlas" as the second-most influential book in their lives, behind only the Bible."

Not necessarily a popular book, but an influential one.

All I know is that after reading it, I can't turn on the TV or read about our Government without running into Wesley Mouch.

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## silverlinkx2

> From http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1231...googlenews_wsj :
> 
> "But as recently as 1991, a survey by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club found that readers rated "Atlas" as the second-most influential book in their lives, behind only the Bible."
> 
> Not necessarily a popular book, but an influential one.
> 
> All I know is that after reading it, I can't turn on the TV or read about our Government without running into Wesley Mouch.


Oh people who read it actually find it to be the 2nd most influential book. That might make more sense. It's a popular book in a small segment of people, with likeminded people probably referring it amongst themselves.

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## Conza88

Influential... because it pretty much is happening before our eyes...

Its blatant. There is a reason after you read it, you want to get others too aswell.

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## silverlinkx2

Every major philosopher has had something predicted that came to be true...all with different opposing opinions and philosophies. I mean, Nietzsche basically came to predict the world wars and was somewhat of a individualist/libertarian with his whole "ubermensch" idea. You could say Dostoevsky came to predict the fall of capitalism and the subsequent decline of humanity as a whole in the underground man.

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## Conza88

^ LONG ass stretch. 

Nostradamus predicted a man on the moon.

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## silverlinkx2

It's no more of a stretch than Ayn Rand predicted what's happening today. We still don't have a John Galt leading all the geniuses on a strike.

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## Kraig

> It's no more of a stretch than Ayn Rand predicted what's happening today. We still don't have a John Galt leading all the geniuses on a strike.


Other than that she wrote it specifically because she saw the failure/decline of the US due to it's accepting socialist type doctrine.

BTW I have never been able to really show the book to anyone because they immediately refuse it when they see how big it is.  Seems like no one reads anymore.

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## silverlinkx2

Thicknesses don't bother me but time is certainly a concern. It seems I'm always working on something.

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## Conza88

> It's no more of a stretch than Ayn Rand predicted what's happening today. We still don't have a John Galt leading all the geniuses on a strike.


Ron Paul and Lew Rockwell certainly come close.

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## Conservative Christian

> No but I know how popular it is among RP fans and college people in general, I just know its not THAT popular. 
> 
> I would say the two most influential books are the Bible and Koran respectively.


I agree, and just off the top of my head, I'd also put the Communist Manifesto well ahead of Atlas as far as influence.


.

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## Bruno

> Other than that she wrote it specifically because she saw the failure/decline of the US due to it's accepting socialist type doctrine.
> 
> BTW I have never been able to really show the book to anyone because they immediately refuse it when they see how big it is.  Seems like no one reads anymore.


I only ordered it because folks here had it as recommended reading, and RP mentions it.  I was intimidated by the size as well, but the story draws you right in.  Now my wife and I are sharing the book, and both around page 800.

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## hadenough

I'm on 175.  Only about 1000 more pages to go.  So far pretty interesting.

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## WRellim

> It's no more of a stretch than Ayn Rand predicted what's happening today. We still don't have a John Galt leading all the geniuses on a strike.


That you know of.

But why would you?

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## heavenlyboy34

> It's no more of a stretch than Ayn Rand predicted what's happening today. We still don't have a John Galt leading all the geniuses on a strike.


Jeff Tucker is trying (see "Against Copyright").

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## Conservative Christian

> Other than that she wrote it specifically because she saw the failure/decline of the US due to it's accepting socialist type doctrine.


It doesn't take any kind of prophetic genius to realize that socialism will cause the decline/failure of any society that adopts it.

In fact, it's an absolute no-brainer.

As some on this thread have noted, not many people are willing to read a book of that size anymore.

Which isn't a problem, because Frederic Bastiat's _The Law_ is actually a much better tool for introducing people to the basic concepts of liberty.

_The Law_ is brief, concise, inexpensive, and should be required reading at the high school level. 

Countless thousands of American parents over the years have bemoaned the fact that their kids became "raving socialists" during their college years. 

However, if they would've simply had their kids read _The Law_ before they went off to college, the book would've served as an intellectual inoculation against socialist propaganda.


.

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## hadenough

I'm up to 400.  Damn this is a long book.  Good though.

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## Bruno

> I'm up to 400.  Damn this is a long book.  Good though.


It is very long.  It keeps getting better and better, especially if you don't know much about the premise.  I knew more than my wife did, and there were more surprises for her than me because of it.  We finished it a few weeks ago.  Awesome read!

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## inibo

> No but I know how popular it is among RP fans and college people in general, I just know its not THAT popular. 
> 
> I would say the two most influential books are the Bible and Koran respectively.



Love it or hate it _The Origin of Species_ by Charles Darwin would have to be considered to be more influential than anything Rand wrote.

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## hadenough

Didn't Darwin marry his first cousin?  Real genius.

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## inibo

> Didn't Darwin marry his first cousin?  Real genius.


He could have been into bestiality for all it matters, it does not change the fact that his book had a greater impact on the world than Rand's.

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## tmosley

I'm on page 800 myself.  I feel like I'm getting smarter the more I read it.

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## trey4sports

ever heard of sarah steelman? formerly ran for governor but lost in the (R) primary. shes teaching a class i attend and Atlas shrugged is one of the books she suggests to write our report on

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## PureCommonSense

Something being influential is different from number of copies sold.  How many times was each copy read?  By whom?  What was the effect on them?  How did they translate the effect to the world around them?  Answering those questions may render a clue.

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## Elwar

Atlas Shrugged has sold over 6 million copies according to the Rand Institute. All of Rand's books combined make up over 25 million sold.

The wikipedia page is looking at books which sold 15 million or more.

I actually ran across a website while checking this out where the guy says that 150 million copies of Atlas Shrugged are sold each year.

I also thought the number was higher. More people need to read it.

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