The Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI), originally Nathaniel Branden Lectures, was an organization founded by

Nathaniel Branden Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal; April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American psychotherapy, psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate ...

in 1958 to promote

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...

's philosophy of Objectivism. The institute was responsible for many Objectivist lectures and presentations across the United States. Many of those associated with NBI worked on the Objectivist magazines, '' The Objectivist Newsletter'' and '' The Objectivist''. There were several subsidiary companies, such as NBI Press (a publishing arm that printed several plays as well as special editions of '' Calumet "K"'' and

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

's '' The Man Who Laughs'' with introductions by Rand); NBI Book Service (which sold Objectivist books and books by non-Objectivists with similar views in a particular area); and NBI Art Reproductions (art by Frank O'Connor, Joan Mitchell Blumenthal, and the portrait of Rand by Ilona Royce Smithkin). NBI also reprinted some of Rand's speeches and interviews, along with articles from ''The Objectivist Newsletter'' and ''The Objectivist,'' in pamphlet format. There was an attempt to set up an NBI Theater in early 1967. The plan was to produce ''

The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect who battles against conventional standards and refuses to com ...

'' as a play, based on a script by Barbara Branden, but the project was shut down in 1968. The institute disbanded after Nathaniel Branden's break with Rand in August 1968. Its closest analogues today are the Ayn Rand Institute and The Atlas Society. From 1996 until his death in 2014, Nathaniel Branden was associated with the latter organization.

Lectures and courses

NBI presented a variety of lecture series. Many of the presentations were also provided as recordings, which were sold and distributed around the country for those who could not attend a live NBI lecture. The lectures delivered by NBI included the following: * ''Basic Principles of Objectivism'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''Basic Principles of Objectivist Psychology'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Psychology'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''The Psychology of Romantic Love'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''The Psychology of Mental Illness'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''Contemporary Theories of Neurosis'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''The Principles of Efficient Thinking'' by Barbara Branden * ''The Objectivist Esthetics'' by Ayn Rand * ''The Economics of a Free Society'' by

Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He worked as a private adviser and provided consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates L ...

* ''A Critical History of Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''History of Modern Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''History of Ancient Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''Contemporary Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''Objectivism's Theory of Knowledge'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''The Esthetics of the Visual Arts'' by Mary Ann (Rukavina) Sures * ''Principles of Child Rearing'' by Reva Fox * ''The Principles and Practice of Non-Fiction Writing'' by Edith Efron * ''Nazism and Contemporary America: Ominous Parallels'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''Three Plays by Ayn Rand'' by Nathaniel Branden

References

Works cited

* * * * * {{Nathaniel Branden, state=autocollapse Objectivist organizations Organizations established in 1958 Organizations disestablished in 1968 1958 establishments in the United States