It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand - Paperback

by Jerome Tuccille (Author)

In It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand, Jerome Tuccille takes the reader on a "hilarious romp through the wild and kooky reaches of the libertarian right," according to Publisher's Weekly. Along the way he explodes many myths surrounding leading right-wing heroes, including Ayn Rand, Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley, Jr., Ronald Reagan, and many others. He doesn't spare himself from the satirist's pen either, describing in detail his comic run for Governor of New York in 1974-an adventure that ended in near bankruptcy and personal turmoil. " Tuccille] is damned funny. His book is a quick read; its pages turn quickly. This is pop history, not deep theory, so most of the pauses in the reading are caused by sudden bouts of laughter. What are we to make of a book that, when discussing Rand's comments about pollution, adds, 'Ayn, you sweet, lovable, crazy bitch'? David Friedman wrote in his foreword to the 25th anniversary edition of this book: 'If you are looking for a careful scholarly history of the libertarian movement... you had better look somewhere else. But for a vivid and entertaining picture of the early years of libertarianism, Tuccille's book has no equal.'" --The Colorado Freedom Report--www.freecolorado.com "Jerome Tuccille's classic history of contemporary libertarian politics is as informative as it is entertaining. Tuccille takes the reader along as he tells of his political conversion from Objectivist to Miscellaneous to Anarchist. He blends an element of mockery of the fringe in the political sphere with a genuine care for the people and events. I recommend it to anyone who is already familiar with the Libertarian world but needs a little education on the genesis of it." --freemarket.net "Tuccille has got to be everyone's favorite right wing individualist anarchist." --Library Journal

Author Biography

Jerome Tuccille is the author of the libertarian classic, It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand. He is the author of 30 books, including highly acclaimed, best-selling biographies of Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Alan Greenspan, and the Hunts of Texas. He has also written several novels. Tuccille's biography Gallo Be Thy Name, a history of the Gallo wine clan and its roots in organized crime, was named one of the best books of 2009 by Reason magazine, and one of the best business books of 2009 by the University of California Library System. His biography Hemingway and Gellhorn, an account of the famous author's relationship with his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, was produced as an HBO special in May 2012. Two of the author's books-his true crime memoir, Gallery of Fools, and Kingdom: The Story of the Hunts of Texas-were optioned for feature films. The author is a vice president with T. Rowe Price, a major financial services firm. He previously taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City and is a former third-party candidate for Governor of New York. He is a member of Authors Guild and American Society of Journalists and Authors.