The Most Influential Women Behind American Libertarianism | INSIDE THE BOOK: Freedom’s Furies

In 1943, three books appeared that changed American politics forever: Isabel Paterson’s The God of the Machine, Rose Wilder Lane’s The Discovery of Freedom, and Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. Together, they laid the groundwork for what became the modern libertarian movement.

Working against the backdrop of changes in literature and politics, they joined forces to rally the nation to the principles of freedom that had come under attack at home and abroad. Now, for the first time, author Timothy Sandefur examines their lives, ideas, and influences in the context of their times.