The Art of Nonfiction is a guide for Objectivists and non-Objectivists to write articles or books effectively with flair. Ayn Rand used her own writing as examples on what could be done to improve the writing and what not to do if you want to write well.

Worth a read for anyone who is interested in writing.

Well its not a complete guide to non-fiction writing. Can be an additional resource. But of course Ayn Rand's POV is always unique.

It demonstrates how she lived her philosophy and seems to provide a very realistic, effective approach to writing.

In this slim volume, Ayn Rand de-mysticizes writing and maintains that writing is a rational sphere governed by rationally identifiable principles.
She says, "What you need for nonfiction writing is what you need for life in general: an orderly method of thinking.”
She goes on to provide a clear guide to the process of writing from choosing a subject and theme to creating an outline, first draft, and editing.
One of the most interesting parts was her psychological analysis on the different roles played by the conscious mind and the subconscious in the process of writing i.e writing under the direction of the subconscious and then later consciously edit it. Also, how thinking objectively can help in problem-solving and performing complex tasks i.e by considering the epistemology and psycho-epistemology aspects of the mind.
A short and quite insightful book that will help one become a better thinker and hence a better writer.

The only book I have read that provides detailed instructions for training our subconscious minds to do specialized work. (Napoleon Hill deserves honorable mention in this category.)

A step-by-step masterclass on creating a piece of non-fiction.

4.5/5

Well, I don't share a lot of philosophical views with Ms. Rand, but I certainly found this lecture series interesting. There were writing ideas I could take away, and I enjoyed learning more about Ms. Rand and her philosophy. Sometimes it's a good thing to hear ideals that are extremely different from my own to make me pause and consider why I believe the way I do.

The first part was interesting, but it was also repetitive due to the editing. As a series of lectures a couple of weeks apart, the redundancy was probably helpful. Unfortunately, the editor was a true believer & didn't want me to miss a single gem of her wisdom. (I wonder if her adherents ever see the irony in their deification of her? Probably not. LOL!)

Many of her thoughts were obvious, since we seem to look for the same things in nonfiction. I owe a lot of that to her. I've always admired her writing, aside from her penchant for using $5 words where a nickle one would do. She's precise, if pedantic & breaks one of her own cardinal rules; keeping the subject simple & to the point. Of course, that's tough to do when she took on all nonfiction writing. It's a broad subject running from short essays to books. Various scopes require different approaches.

I wouldn't recommend this to nonfiction readers. At best, it's just going to make the failings of any essay or book that much more glaring. I don't think it will help with understanding of nonfiction any better, although she does make some good points about syllogism & other forms of faulty logic (or sleight of hand) that are used by so many snake oil salesmen. Still, if you didn't spot them before or are a believer in their particular medicine, I doubt this would change your mind. I didn't find anything new, she just codified them a bit better.

Nonfiction writers of all sorts would get a lot out of this, I believe. Rand was certainly a remarkable speaker & writer. Her logic is profound & intricate, even if it does reach too far beyond the human condition. Still, that's a good thing in nonfiction writing.

I was on the fence whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. Since she's so precise, I'm knocking it back to 3 due to it not really being for readers.

After reading this book a second time, I understand how to write non-fiction much better. Aside from advice on writing, Ayn Rand provides valuable insight into specific elements of her philosophy. This is a very rewarding book.

Necessary. This book was one of the most powerful writing and reading craft books I have read thus far. Helpful. Insightful. A must read. And then, read it again. It is worth the time and money.

This book, based on private lectures held by novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, (author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead") is a great resource on both reading and writing nonfiction. It has a particular focus on the importance of writing outlines and a superlatively thorough and effective three-layer editing process. Simply a marvelous book that teaches the proper writing methods for creating both articles and essays.

This book was not written to help people it was written to belittle people, scorn other writers and feed into her huge opinion of herself. I like Ayn Rand's works, and I have no doubt that she was extremely intelligent - but this book was hugely annoying. As a reader, you have work extra hard to "get past" her arrogance just to pick up the helpful tidbits of information pertaining to the topic.