[2] A preface by Harriman describes the material as being about three-quarters of Rand's "working journals", collected from "numerous boxes of papers she left behind at her death".

The first section, titled "Early Projects" includes scenarios for silent movies that Rand developed when she first moved to Hollywood in the 1920s.

The Little Street was meant to center around protagonist Danny Renahan, who was based on real-life murderer and kidnapper William Hickman.

In addition to planning for characters and plot points, her notes include research on the railroad and steel industries, and thoughts on various philosophical issues to be addressed in the novel.

Objectivist philosopher David Kelley described the material in Rand's journals as "contain[ing] a number of passages that explain key points in her philosophy more fully and clearly than anything she published."

[8] Writing for the libertarian magazine Reason, Walter Olson said the book was "a less-than-ideal place to start for those not already closely familiar with the Russian-born author's work.

[11] In The New York Times Book Review, conservative writer David Brooks offered his "harsh assessment" that the insights Rand had about the dangers of collectivism were "made absurd only by the philosophy she piled on top of it."

"[15] Both Brooks and Gladstein indicated that the term 'journals' was misleading because the material focuses on Rand's works and ideas, instead of more personal thoughts.

[16] In contrast, Publishers Weekly said it was of interest only for those who were "lovers and loathers" of Rand, describing the book as being "As intriguing yet sometimes numbing as her fiction".

Cox also said that Harriman's editing for grammar and "wordiness" was insufficiently explained, which acted "to undermine the objective authority of the text.

"[21] In an article in the next issue of Liberty, Rand scholar Chris Matthew Sciabarra raised additional concerns about how Harriman had edited the material.

"[22] Citing Sciabarra's essay, Gladstein gave the book as an example of publishing efforts by Rand's estate that "have not always exhibited a confidence-inspiring level of academic rigor.