A Companion to Ayn Rand (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy)

In February Gregory Salmieri and the late Allan Gotthelf's long-awaited A Companion to Ayn Rand (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) will be published.  This is Amazon's description:

The first publication to offer a serious academic study of Rand’s often marginalized corpus, this comprehensive companion provides critical analysis of her prolific and iconoclastic writings, including her novels, her political commentary, and the essays in which she laid out her philosophy of Objectivism.

• The first publication to provide a wide-ranging critical commentary for an academic readership on Rand’s varied and challenging output
• Contains chapters by many of the leading experts in Rand’s thought
• Provides informed contextual analysis for scholars in a variety of disciplines
• Features original research on unpublished material and drafts from the Rand archives in California
• Features insightful and fair-minded interpretations of Rand’s controversial beliefs

The editors and the comments about "original research . . . from the Rand archives" makes me think that all the contributors will be associated with the Ayn Rand Institute.  While ARI writers have produced much good material, it tends not to be very critical.

Of course, this book will not be "[t]he first publication to offer a serious academic study of Rand's often marginalized corpus . . . ."  In the early 80's Den Uyl and Rasmussen edited The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand.  The book was something of a mixed bag, but certain essays were quite good.