The Fountainhead has become an enduring piece of literature, more popular now than when published in 1943. On the surface, it is a story of one man, Howard Roark, and his struggles as an architect in the face of a successful rival, Peter Keating, and a newspaper columnist, Ellsworth Toohey. But the book addresses a number of universal themes: the strength of the individual, the tug between good and evil, the threat of fascism. The confrontation of those themes, along with the amazing stroke of Rand's writing, combine to give this book its enduring influence.


The New York Times Book Review, Lorine Pruette
Ayn Rand is a writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly.

ANNOTATION

A phenomenal bestseller since its publication in 1943, The Fountainhead brought Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism to a worldwide audience. As original today as it was when it was written, this novel reinvents the modern-day hero. This anniversary edition includes a special afterword by Leonard Peikoff and excerpts from Rand's own notes about the book.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Fountainhead, possibly the most influential and controversial novel of ideas in American history, presents a philosophy of vital interest to anyone seeking an understanding of our present-day culture. As relevant and exciting now as it was for those who clamored to read it when it burst upon the scene in 1943, this book continues to focus worldwide attention on its brilliant author, who pointedly asks, "Is it possible to be an individual in today's world?"

SYNOPSIS

Ayn Rand's classic novel has been inspiring readers for over half a century. Rand's hero is Howard Roark, a brilliant young architect whose revolutionary building designs lead him to wage a desperate battle against his colleagues, society, and even the woman he loves. Roark refuses to compromise. In defense of his selfish choices, Roark stuns his critics by developing a radical moral philosophy every bit as revolutionary as his buildings.

FROM THE CRITICS

Purette - New York Times

Ayn Rand is a writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly.

Purette

Ayn Rand is a writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly. -- The New York Times

Lorine Purette