Ayn Rand’s dramatic and thought-provoking novels appeal strongly to young readers. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we’re able to provide free physical and digital copies of Rand’s novels, along with guides and lesson plans for teaching them, to educators across the United States and Canada (including homeschool teachers). To date, we’ve sent 4.7 million free books to over 65,000 teachers!
If you’re committed to teaching Ayn Rand’s novels this academic year, we’ll provide you with a classroom set, 100% free of charge. But hurry—supplies are limited!
Questions? Write to us at education@aynrand.org.
Ayn Rand was a radical thinker whose deeply philosophical novels challenge students to reconsider their views on fundamental issues. Anthem, We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged — these works have become classics of American literature and never fail to engage young people and stimulate intense classroom discussion. By offering these works for free to teachers, we at the Ayn Rand Institute hope to encourage greater awareness and understanding of Rand’s stimulating perspective.
This free, downloadable teachers guide, published by Penguin and written by experts on Ayn Rand, covers both Anthem and The Fountainhead, subjects of the Institute’s two most popular essay contests.
Would you like an expert from the Ayn Rand Institute to visit your classroom or school for a virtual talk and Q&A on Rand’s novels?
Are you teaching an Ayn Rand novel this year? Why not encourage your students to enter the Ayn Rand Institute essay contest on that novel, with a chance to win one of 25+ prizes totaling more than $30,000.
This video lecture course is an introduction to The Fountainhead that includes background material on Rand and the era in which she wrote, an overview of the story, an analysis of the principal characters, and detailed discussion of the main themes and sub-themes.
Whether you’re teaching an Ayn Rand novel for the first time or want to share lesson plans that have worked for you, our resources page collects materials tailored to each novel.
Questions or special requests regarding these terms should be sent to education@aynrand.org.
We provide review copies of the novels as well as classroom sets to teachers and schools at no expense. This is a donor-funded program with no financial obligation to you or your school.
Yes, you are welcome to order a free review copy of one or more titles.
We offer Anthem for grade levels 8 – 12; We the Living for grade levels 10 – 12; The Fountainhead for grade levels 11 – 12; and Atlas Shrugged for grade levels 11 – 12.
No, participation in our annual essay contests is not required to receive a free classroom set of books, but your participation is encouraged and appreciated! Receiving and evaluating essays helps us create more effective teacher resources for you, and the essay contests provide your students with an opportunity to further develop their critical thinking and writing skills. Of course, there are also the benefits of your receiving our popular teacher gifts and your students’ chance to win their share of the $40,000 in prize money awarded every year.
Unless otherwise noted, all physical shipments are sent out approximately 2 – 3 weeks before your expected teaching date. To request an order be shipped sooner (or later) than that time frame, please email education@aynrand.org.
All public and private schools are eligible, although the aforementioned grade restrictions and conditions apply.
Yes, you are encouraged to give the books to students for them to own!
Yes, it is possible to send along a special thank-you to the donor(s) who made this program possible in your particular area. All such correspondence should be sent to education@aynrand.org. To protect your privacy, your name, school and contact information will be removed unless you request otherwise.
Yes, librarians are allowed to order up to three copies of each novel for their school library.
Yes, you may order books for your classroom. There are no restrictions with regard to what subject or class the books are used for, as long as you plan to use them with students within a year of placing your order.
Unfortunately, the only editions we are able to send to teachers are the standard, mass-market paperback editions.
Due to pandemic-related delays in book printing, some titles may only be available in digital format. Our ebooks are easily accessible by teachers and students on a range of electronic devices, and have been used by thousands of teachers the past few years. If you can only use physical books, you may contact us by email at education@aynrand.org to request them. However, as our supply is limited we cannot guarantee the provision of physical books.
Please write to us at education@aynrand.org.
Copyright © 1985 – 2023 The Ayn Rand® Institute (ARI). Reproduction of content and images in whole or in part is prohibited. All rights reserved. ARI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to ARI in the United States are tax-exempt to the extent provided by law. Objectivist Conferences (OCON) and the Ayn Rand Institute eStore are operated by ARI. Payments to OCON or the Ayn Rand Institute eStore do not qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the Ayn Rand Institute. Ayn Rand® is a registered trademark and is used by permission.
