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The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand

The Fountainhead Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A special edition hardcover in celebration of Ayn Rand's centennial.

When it was first published in 1943, The Fountainhead — containing Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision with the seeds of her groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism — won immediate worldwide acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him. This centennial edition of The Fountainhead, celebrating the controversial and eduring legacy of its author, features an afterword by Rand's literary executor, Leonard Peikoff, offering some of Ayn Rand's personal notes on the development of her masterwork.

Review:

"A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly." The New York Times

Synopsis:

This centennial edition of The Fountainhead, celebrating the controversial and enduring legacy of its author, features an afterword by Rand's literary executor, Leonard Peikoff, offering some of Ayn Rand's personal notes on the development of her masterwork, and a Reader's Guide to her writings and philosophy.
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About the Author

Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Ms. Rand's unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamental sof her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtue of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
color_side, March 24, 2008 (view all comments by color_side)
Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead is truly an incredible piece of literature. This novel showcases the journey of the ego and its embodiment in Howard Roark. Architecture is the name of the game in this book, and many contestants struggle to broadcast their work and their name across New York City. One of the worst architects, Peter Keating, rises to fame because of his success with the politics of the business. He aims to please and nothing else. Where Roark follows only his principles and ideas, Keating is a mirror of society, only reflecting what pleases the mob at the time. Intertwined with these two characters is Ellsworth Toohey. Toohey is an advocate of selflessness (in this case, having no self). He glorifies the commonplace and the ordinary to minimalize greatness. Roark is Toohey’s antithesis.

Howard Roark is determined to be successful, and after quite a few years of despair, he is. Creating buildings is what he loves, and nothing else matters, except for one thing, Dominique Wynand. They met under the worst of circumstances and were drawn to each other. Their love is true, but Dominique must learn to accept society the way it is and not be afraid to fight for what she believes in. Eventually, Roark meets Gail Wynand who is the business tycoon of a newspaper empire. They become friends because of their likeness in spirit.

In the end, Roark is put on trial for committing an action that would save his building, his masterpiece. Will he go free, or will the verdict say he is guilty? Will he get to build more masterpieces for all of the world to see, or will he be subject to rot in prison? Read The Fountainhead and find out!

Ayn Rand’s main theme of the story is to trust yourself and only rely on yourself for judgment; to not be a slave to society, but to respect and work with others to achieve individual greatness because it is only as individuals that the whole will be successful. Personally, I loved the theme of the story. I totally agree with what Ayn Rand is trying to say. I would recommend this to any person who is looking for a good read. The reader will need quite a bit of time on his hands, however, because this book is lengthy, but totally worth it.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780452286375
Author:
Rand, Ayn
Publisher:
Plume Books
Subject:
Classics
Subject:
Man-woman relationships
Subject:
Architects
Edition Description:
Centennial
Publication Date:
December 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
752
Dimensions:
9.02x6.10x1.28 in. 1.92 lbs.
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