Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Customer Reviews:

The moral case for the free market.......2007-09-14

For anyone interested in an economic case for capitalism, this is not the right book - Rand was a philosopher, not an economist (in spite of her sound understanding of economic theorems.) However, for anyone interested in a moral defence of the system and an understanding of its intellectual history and opponents, this is a vital piece of work. Rand includes essays on voluminous topics, such as the gold standard, distortions of what actually happened during the Industrial Revolution, the proper role of government (I disagree with her on this), and so on. It is essential to understand that Rand was not a corporate shill, nor did she approve of the status quo - to the contrary, she strongly opposed the notion of corporate welfare and the like, and believed in a free market economy. Unfortunately, her adulation of big business gave ample ammunition to her critics. She replicates her essay on the rights of individuals toward the end of the book, which is in itself an excellent read. Taken in conjunction with The Virtue of Selfishness, this work will spur the youthful mind into further inquiry on the philosophical origins and defences of laissez-faire.

AMAZON! PLEASE READ THIS.......2007-07-17

Can you please take down that disgraceful "editorial review" you've allowed to creep its slimy way onto this site (and somehow barnes and nobles as well? who is pushing this stuff?). It is a smear on this book's page, and frankly it makes your site look tawdry and muckraking.

Unless of course, you posted that review to get all of these wonderful reviews defending the author of this book from attack by its own salesman.

Take that review down and replace it with something neutral at the very least.

Really, its almost criminal.

Very well written book about capitalism and democracy.......2007-04-06

Although this book was written many years ago, it rings true for today's issues. The book is made up of multiple (25 or so) mini essays, each about 5-10 pages long.

The book has a clear and logical philosophy that is consistent. Its' basic premise is that pure capitalism is the first and only moral system for man. This is because capitalism equals freedom which frees a man from coercive oppression, and that man can only create wealth and new ideas when free to use his mind. The book states that the US briefly came close to pure capitalism in the 1700 and 1800s, but is now heading to fascism, as the state leaves property in private ownership, but the state controls output and use of the private property.

This book is the best I've read in several years, because it helped me unify my outlook on several fronts (political, economic, legal, social, etc) into one grand, consistent theory. I think this book will appeal to liberals and conservatives alike. Both are damned in this book by Rand, but I think the left, right, and center will recognize parts of Rand's philosophy that are dear to them too.

Read it for yourself to see, the book is cheap.

Propaganda?.......2007-04-06

The only "outlandish piece of propaganda" about this book is the Library Journal's unabashed hit-piece pseudo-review of it on this website. The essence of capitalism is a political-economic system based on individual rights where all property is owned privately. If you wish to engage in thought about the authentic meaning of capitalism, read Ayn Rand's articles in this book, then if you decide to reject capitalism for statism, do so with the full knowledge of what capitalism is and be prepared to take the consequences for selling your soul.

greenspan.......2007-04-05

this book with its essays by greenspan show a good example of a guy who used to fight against courruption & the federal reserve and then sold out to those who battled against.

Our money was taken from us in the middle of the night by corrupt bankers. The federal Reserve is bogus.

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Capitalism - The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Atlas Shrugged

ASIN: B000IZO0U8

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: NAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal with Additional Articles By Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan, and Robert Hessen

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal with Additional Articles By Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan, and Robert Hessen
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

CAPITALISM: THE UNKNOWN IDEAL, WITH ADDITIONAL ARTICLES BY ...

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Passionate defence of freedom

CAPITALISM: THE UNKNOWN IDEAL, WITH ADDITIONAL ARTICLES BY ...
Ayn Rand , Nathaniel Branden , Alan Greenspan , and Robert Hessen
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: B000HHOPW0

Customer Reviews:

Passionate defence of freedom.......2007-08-13

This riveting compilation of 26 essays includes contributions by Alan Greenspan, Nathaniel Branden and Robert Hessen. It is primarily a treatise on the moral aspects of capitalism. The themes revolve around human nature and mankind's relationship to existence. Capitalism is advocated because it is the only system compatible with the life of a rational being.

Rand claims that the classical defenders and modern apologists of capitalism are by default responsible for undermining it. In her view, they are unwilling or unable to fight the battle on moral-philosophical grounds.

The essays provide a plethora of gripping insights and novel angles. Rand detests the idea of using altruism to defend capitalism. She proposes rationality instead, with a ruling principle of justice.

I do not necessarily agree with her on this but I enjoy Rand's scathing criticism of conservatism's perceived fallacies. Her vitriolic dissection of the 3 conservative strains is highly amusing! She identifies and attacks the Religious and the Traditionalists but really unleashes the sharp edge of her scorn on those who defend capitalism from the argument of mankind's depravity.

In the essay Requiem For Man, she savages the encyclical Populorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI, in which she also rips apart the reactions to it by publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine.

The book consists of two parts. The first is Theory And History, which includes essays on inter alia war, the persecution of big business, antitrust, gold and economic freedom, property status of the airwaves, and patents and copyrights.

Part two: Current State, includes essays on the anatomy of compromise, the art of smearing, rule by consensus as a form of fascism, and the student rebellion. The final two essays: Man's Rights and The Nature Of Government, appear in the appendix.

Whatever the flaws in Rand's Objectivist philosophy, this book remains a brilliant and unique defence of freedom and capitalism. Moreover, history has proved Rand a prescient thinker who was correct in many of her analyses.

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal ranks among the very best of her non-fiction works. It is highly engaging, thought-provoking and often quite amusing. The book concludes with an index and a bibliography listing titles by Henry Hazlitt, Isabel Paterson and Ludwig von Mises, amongst others.

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, Library Edition

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, Library Edition
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: MP3 CD

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ASIN: 0786194545

Capitalism the Unknown Ideal 1ST Edition

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Capitalism the Unknown Ideal 1ST Edition
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: A Signet Book/ New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn, Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan, Robert Hessen Rand
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U8DIH4

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, the Fountainhead, Anthem

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Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, the Fountainhead, Anthem
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

Ayn Rand and the Objectivists, a veiw so radically opposed to prevailing attitudes that it constitutes a major philosophic revolution. In a series of essays the Objectivists present their stand on the persecution of big business, the causes of war, the student rebellion, the evils of altruism. Here is a challenging new look at modern society, by one of the most provocative intellectuals on the American scene.

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An excellent book.

Birdlife of Houston...Upper Texas Coast

TX Gulf Coast birds

Color Pictures Needed

What a fabulous book!

Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast
Ted Eubanks , Robert A. Behrstock , and Ron J. Weeks
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Exploring the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail: Highlights of a Birding Mecca

Houston Atlas of Biodiversity: Houston Wilderness

A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas: and Adjacent States (Peterson Field Guides(R))

The Shorebird Guide

The Tos Handbook of Texas Birds (Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series, No. 36)

ASIN: 158544510X

Book Description

In the last thirty years, the Upper Texas Coast has become a "must go" destination for birders around the globe. This book will serve as an essential companion to the customary field guide and pair of binoculars for all visitors to Houston, High Island, Galveston, Freeport, or any of the area's other exciting birding spots. It also places the birdlife of the region, a seven-county area with a larger bird list than forty-three states, into historical and ecological contexts.

Authors Eubanks, Behrstock, and Weeks—all recognized authorities on the migrant and resident birds of this region—present a thorough introduction to the area's history, physiography, and avifauna. Then, in generous discussions of bird families and species, they synthesize years of records, tracking the comings and goings of more than 480 birds and incorporating their own lifetimes of experience to create an "ornithological mosaic" of lasting significance.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book........2007-03-11

This is not a field guide, but rather a compilation of short pieces about the bird species of the upper Texas Coast. It includes maps, photos, and habitat information. As such, it provides a greater amount of information about this area than has been available in any one place prior to this. If you live, or bird in this area, it is excellent addition to your birding literature. I will go further and say that even for someone out of this area, who is interested in birds, it is extremely worthwhile. Although the individual species accounts are necessarily brief, they give you quality information about the birds,and their history in the area.
I strongly recommend purchasing this book.

Birdlife of Houston...Upper Texas Coast.......2007-01-22

Great service from Amazon; good price on the book, but I was indeed disappointed in the book. While the book is very detailed and informative, there are no pictures to accompany the interesting information associated with the species' descriptions. Unfortunately, to enjoy the book, one has to have additional books to view the bird species that Birdlife of Houston... tells about... most disappointing. The book is a great idea, but falls short on being a great choice for bird lovers in the region. I would not highly recommend it.

TX Gulf Coast birds.......2007-01-16

The book is very good for helping me identify which birds are common in my area and where they can be spotted. When I use a companion book that shows a picture of the bird and I think it might be the one I saw, I refer to this book to see if my identification was correct.

Color Pictures Needed.......2006-12-27

Since my husband and I are semi-retired, we now have more time to travel around the Gulf Coast and have enjoyed noticing the birds in the area. We discovered that we need a book about birds that will help us to identify birds, besides the mockingbirds, cardinals, bluejays, and doves that we have seen in our back yard. So after reading a very favorable review in "The Houston Chronicle" about this birding book, I gave the book to my husband for a Christmas present. Unfortunately, I did not look at the book before I ordered it. The details about each bird are very interesting, but without pictures, we still don't know how to identify many birds that we have seen.

What a fabulous book!.......2006-12-24

As one who has birded the Texas Coast since I was in my teens, I love the information, the photos and history that is covered in this book.
It is a must for serious and weekend birders of the Texas Coast.
Feather Fest is coming in March! Bring this book for a successful and
informative birding experience.

The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife

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The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife
Christopher W. Leahy
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691113882

Book Description

The quintessential A-Z guide, this is a book that anyone interested in birds will want to have close at hand. First published more than twenty years ago, this highly respected reference volume has been fully revised and updated. It captures the fundamental details as well as the immense fascination of North American bird life in a style that is authoritative, yet fresh, witty, and eminently readable.

Both a practical handbook for amateurs and a handy reference for seasoned birders, it provides accounts of the basic elements of birdlife, as well as a wealth of easy-to-access information on such subjects as bird physiology and anatomy, terms and jargon, name definitions and etymology, and ornithological groupings.

Readers will discover everything from the color of a dipper's eggs (glossy, white, and unmarked) to the number of species of woodpeckers in the world (216). They will also find more than one hundred of the best-known and most colorful colloquial names for birds, alphabetized and briefly defined. Collective nouns relating to birdlife--for example, "an exaltation of larks"--are included in the "Nouns of Assemblage" section. Biographical sketches of persons responsible for describing or naming a significant number of North American species are also included, as well as handsome and accurate illustrations by Gordon Morrison. And for those who want to go beyond reading about their favorite birds and take to the great outdoors, the book offers still more useful information: descriptive entries on a selection of the best-known birdwatching spots of North America.

Introduction to California Birdlife (California Natural History Guides)

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The best book to grasp California's birds
Birds NorCal
A good introduction

Introduction to California Birdlife (California Natural History Guides)
Jules Evens , and Ian Tait
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520238613

Book Description

In almost every location and every season, California is a birdwatchers' paradise. One can search Sierra meadows for a Great Gray Owl, the autumn estuary for a Black-bellied Plover, or spring willow thickets for the effervescent song of the Yellow Warbler. Closer to home, backyards, neighborhood parks, and cities abound with many of the state's 600-plus bird species. This beautifully illustrated book, the first based on the relationship between birds and their habitats, is the definitive introduction to California's varied birds and the lives they lead.
Introduction to California Birdlife describes the representative birds in California's seven major bioregions: ocean, seashore, coastal ranges, Central Valley, mountains and foothills, Great Basin, and deserts. It explains key relationships among weather patterns, plant communities, and the ecological rhythms of these habitats and shows how these factors relate to the distribution, behavioral adaptations, and environmental challenges of its birds.

* The perfect book for beginning and intermediate naturalists, and in-depth enough for experienced naturalists who would like to learn more about the habitat affinities, ecological niches, and seasonal cycles of California birds
* 150 color photographs bring to life many of the birds described
* Introduces the basics of avian biology
* Includes a list of all California's known bird species and a glossary of birding terms

Customer Reviews:

The best book to grasp California's birds.......2007-10-01

Evens and Tait have produced a veritable undergraduate course on the ecology of birds of California. But dont be confused -- this is not meant to replace a field guide. This is the deeper stuff: bird ecology, feeeding, nesting, associations between species, landscape ecology. And Evens and Tait have successfully and elegantly downloaded a lifetime of learning and listening and watching the region's birds between two covers.

This is a must-read for anybody studying bird environments and impacts, and for anybody preparing a birding tour of the state. It is as good a state guide as exists in the US on one region's rich ecology and communities of birds. Evens also has a highly readable engaging style, as well so you can turn to this over and over.

Birds NorCal.......2007-04-04

Although the book contains aloot of information, is is also lacking a lot
of information regarding many of the local species, information that I was
specically looking for. Examples would be the Red Tailed Hawk, the flicker
Red headed Owl and many small birds that habitat this area. The book did
provide some information but not a complete digest of Nor Cal birds in the
western Cascades.

A good introduction.......2005-10-08

Beginning and intermediate birders will enjoy this introduction to the birdlife of the most ornithologically diverse state in the union. Not an identification resource or a site guide, this thick little book instead introduces the birds against the background of their ecology and biology, treating habitats rather than individual species.
Unfortunately, the book could have been edited more rigorously than it was. There are spelling errors ("ocine" for "oscine," "nivasus" for "nivosus") that an adept proofreader could have caught, and the discussion of endemism and evolution in the front matter is oddly oblique, never completely wrong but often just a little bit off: readers may well end up wondering why the terms "sister species," "sibling species," and "sister species" all occur in one paragraph and whether there is any difference. The Inyo California Towhee is said to be a "remnant population of a once more widespread species," but that formulation could be applied just as accurately (and just as confusingly) to any other population of California Towhees. The author knows what he's talking about, but the editor could have helped say it better, more clearly, and more precisely.
But the book is still highly recommended, as are all the other titles in this excellent series.

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Raptor Watch (BirdLife Conservation)

Manufacturer: BirdLife International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Key Areas for Threatened Birds in the Neotropics (Birdlife Conservation Series)

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A Tremendous Collection of Knowldege in One Book

Key Areas for Threatened Birds in the Neotropics (Birdlife Conservation Series)
David C. Wege
Manufacturer: Birdlife International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0946888310

Customer Reviews:

A Tremendous Collection of Knowldege in One Book.......2007-02-16

This book is aimed at ornithologists, biologists,conservation workers, and birders active in Mexico,Central and South America the Neotropics.
As a birder and active conservationist I purchased this to obtain information on what may be productive birding areas to visit and also to see which areas may be the most important to direct my conservation efforts. I was not disappointed in how this book satisfied either of these goals.

Chapters in the book cover a brief description of each country including physical geography and descriptions of the richness of the avifauna and endemic bird species and information about threatened species of the country. Maps and lists of Endemic Bird Areas (EBA's) and Key Areas(important sites for conservation within the EBA's) are included for each country. Each Key Area is numbered and the text contains a section describing the area, habitat status, and conservation efforts as well as all endemic and threatened species present in each area. For example in checking Ecuador you can see that many of the localities for threatened birds and Key Areas are in the south and that the area titled Buenaventura or El Oro has eight threatened species. This area is listed as unprotected but now it is partly protected by Fundacion Jocotoco.

This book is very rich in information and a good resource for anyone interested in either pursuing the best biodiverse areas for birding or protecting them through conservation. Many sections of the book refer to the latin names of species and this was the only aspect of the book that I found cumbersome and anyone that is not totally familiar with latin bird names would also.

Important Bird Areas in the Middle East (Birdlife Conservation Series, No. 2)

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Important Bird Areas in the Middle East (Birdlife Conservation Series, No. 2)

Manufacturer: Birdlife International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0946888280

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Tunnicliffe's Birdlife
Noel Cusa
Manufacturer: Salem House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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HABITATS FOR BIRDS IN EUROPE PB (Birdlife Conservation Series, Vol 6)

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HABITATS FOR BIRDS IN EUROPE PB (Birdlife Conservation Series, Vol 6)
TUCKER GRAHAM M
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560984481

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Hawaiian Birdlife
Andrew John Berger
Manufacturer: Univ of Hawaii Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Birdlife of Florida
Henry M. Stevenson , and Bruce H. Anderson
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0813012880

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