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ESSAY ON SOURCES 293
published diaries only the sections that I have personally verifi ed as accurate with the
archival records, and I note where important discrepancies exist. (The only exception is
in the case of Rand’s earliest philosophical journals, which were lost after publication, so
that no originals remain.) Similar problems plague Ayn Rand Answers (2005), The Art
of Fiction (2000), The Art of Non-Fiction (2001), and Objectively Speaking (2009). These
books are derived from archival materials but have been signifi cantly rewritten.
ARCHIVAL SOURCE S
In light of the bowdlerization of Rand’s published papers, the starting point for rigorous
historical and philosophical inquiry into her work must be archival. The Ayn Rand
Archives, which holds original versions of the materials described above, is the defi nitive
resource for scholars. Material here ranges from the mundane to the spectacular, from
household ephemera to the most wrenching of Rand’s diary entries during the agonies
of her break with Nathaniel Branden. The archive consists of two related collections,
the Ayn Rand Papers and Special Collections. Together they encompass more than two
hundred document cartons, which hold manuscripts, fi ction and nonfi ction notes and
outlines, screenplays, business and personal correspondence, fan mail, research fi les,
personal photographs, daily calendars, address books, memorabilia, press clipping fi les,
Objectivist periodicals, materials from Objectivist organizations, and Russian academic
and legal documents. There are more than three thousand handwritten pages and several
hundred hours of interviews with Rand and persons who knew her, and more than
eleven hundred pages of letters sent to her from Russia by the Rosenbaum family. The
archive has an active acquisitions program and has taken steps to digitize and preserve
its ever-expanding holdings.
Of particular note are transcripts of more than forty hours of interviews Barbara
Branden conducted with Rand in 1961, which formed the basis of Branden’s 1962 biographical
sketch, Who Is Ayn Rand?, and her later Passion of Ayn Rand. The biographical
interviews reveal details about Rand that cannot be found elsewhere, particularly concerning
her early life and her creative process. Later research indicates that Rand’s recollections
of her life in Russia are of questionable accuracy, and the listener must always
keep in mind Rand’s novelistic inclination to embellishment. Nevertheless they are an
invaluable resource for understanding both the younger Rand and her self-presentation at
midcareer. These interviews are also held in the private collection of Barbara Branden.
Although it is affi liated with the Ayn Rand Institute, an explicit advocacy organization,
the Ayn Rand Archive has evolved into a professional institution on par with any
university collection. The papers are well organized and include a detailed fi nding aid.
During the course of my research I was afforded full access to Rand’s papers and benefi
ted enormously from the knowledge and efforts of the Archives staff. Since 2001 the
Archive has been open to serious scholars, but does occasionally restrict access to avoid
confl ict with sponsored projects. Researchers known to be hostile to Rand, or with a history
of involvement in Objectivist controversies, may fi nd their entry limited or denied.
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