In a previous post, I mentioned estimated sales of Ayn Rand’s books. Now I have a better estimate for sales of Atlas Shrugged, Rand’s most important work.
In a letter dated November 12, Yaron Brook, president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), reports, “More than six million copies of Atlas have been sold since 1957. Over the past five years, bookstore sales of Atlas have averaged more than 130,000 copies per year.” Brook’s letter is reproduced at ARI’s web page; it discusses the organization’s “Atlas Shrugged Initiative,” a set of activities that capitalize on the 50th anniversary of the novel’s publication and its continued success. I am continually impressed by ARI’s programs and publications.