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Ayn Rand

The Fountainhead Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 1996

by Ayn Rand (Author), Leonard Peikoff (Afterword)

4,960 ratings

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The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of Objectivism, Ayn Rand's groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim.

This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. As fresh today as it was then, Rand’s provocative novel presents one of the most challenging ideas in all of fiction—that man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress...

“A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly...This is the only novel of ideas written by an American woman that I can recall.”—The New York Times

Print length

720 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Signet
Publication date

September 1, 1996
Dimensions

4.19 x 1.56 x 6.88 inches
ISBN-10

0451191153
ISBN-13

978-0451191151
Lexile measure

780L
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Editorial Reviews

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. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtues 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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Signet; Anniversary edition (September 1, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0451191153
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451191151
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 780L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 1.56 x 6.88 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #8,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #82 in Political Fiction (Books)
- #135 in Classic American Literature
- #172 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4,960 ratings

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5 star		76%
4 star		13%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

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Carpurtarpis

Startling...

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2018

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Startling, in that this work, combined with Atlas Shrugged, shines a beacon on the life of men in such a way that causes a sincere and thorough examination of that which drives me, in my search for excellence and productivity as a man. I had not previously been presented with such a reasonable and clearly spoken verbal picture of the choice all men must make, every day of their lives, often many times a day, between the parasitic versus the creative mindset, and the resulting actions that naturally follow that demonstrate the truth of the decisions we make in each moment. My chosen daily occupation as a builder grants me endless opportunity to make these choices and observe the results of each one, in the viewing of the finished product I have created, and the reception of it by those who are to use what I've built. I can say, resoundingly and without hesitation, that the ideology Ayn Rand has elucidated upon in Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are without doubt the recipe to living a hero's life of accomplishment and confident honesty. Her description of the tactics and motives of the parasite class connected lots of dots for me that I had previously wondered about (what's wrong with that guy that he would allow himself to build such wretched garbage? What's wrong with the telecom company that it uses intentionally dishonest marketing tactics to squeeze a few extra cents a month from their customers? How can "government officials" wink and turn a blind eye on horrifyingly immoral conduct by huge lending institutions who make it their policy to use predatory and openly fraudulent methods to confiscate property that the owners of depend upon for their shelter and livelihood?) but hadn't taken the time and energy to seriously research and think through. My gratitude to Ayn Rand for helping me along the path to the beginnings of wisdom, and a clearer path forward as a creative force on the planet called earth.

123 people found this helpful

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Ruth

Depressing

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2020

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I am not sure why this book has such great reviews. I could only get 1/3 of the way through. The main characters are selfish, mean people and there is no redeeming qualities about any of them. They don't even seem human. When I got to the part where one of the main characters rapes another (and the author describes it as rough and implies she liked it... bruises and all) I threw it in the trash!

40 people found this helpful

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Thebigdog

A must read for all who do not lfoolishly go along with society's ever changing ideas of Truth.

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2016

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First read this in college (40+ years ago) and found it an amazing read. Makes a strong statement on individualism, integrity, and principaled living. May lead you to new insights on livinging free and uncompromised. Downloaded it again to read it and remind myself what a real "superman" is. If you like to run with the herd you might not like it. On the other hand it may remind you why it is intellectual death to submit to society's ever changing principals and mores. A must read for all independent thinkers

130 people found this helpful

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ZyPhReX

A Landmark Piece With Multiple Tiers Of Insights Which Leaves Much Rumination For Individuals

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017

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There are writers. And then there’s Ayn Rand.

Ayn Rand was a very unique individual; an individual that isn’t afraid to stand by her convictions, no matter what anyone said. That’s what made her so beloved and hated. Even more so, that’s why people were so bifurcated about her books.

Knowing that, then it isn’t shocking to realize that The Fountainhead was written with her very own ideals embedded within every page, within every character, within every thought. In that sense, she is rather unique because not only did she create an amazing story, as many authors have, but she went a step beyond and used the book with the essence of her philosophy, which was, and will always be, a truly daring endeavor for any writer.

The Fountainhead has been described in many ways, but at its core it is about The Individual vs. The Collective; about Freedom vs. Conformity.

With characters that are gripping, settings that are par excellence, and dialogue that displays incredible depth, the book is a well rounded synthesis about the nature of individualism and what it means to be human.

The leading characters all flow through their roles seamlessly, and whether you love them or hate them, you can feel the realism in them, even if at times they are the epitome of Rand’s ideal.

Anyone who values individuality will value this book. Those that seek to conform will undoubtedly hate it. That’s the nature of the beast, and always will be. What Rand did though, perhaps better than anyone else, is show both sides of the coin – Individualism vs. Conformity – in a manner that nobody else had brought about through fiction. This is why the book is so engaging, because you hate the villains as much as you love the characters you gravitate towards. It is rare when a book has you personally invested in nigh every character failing or succeeding, but this book accomplishes that in spades.

Ayn Ran went to war for the Individual against The Collective in a torrential manner in a way almost nobody does. Through her characters, Rand did a salient job of showing the wide range of latitudes within human nature. All of this was, of course, was to highlight the importance of Individualism.

As Rand herself elucidates in the following passages, the last of the three which is in her own words, the prior two through her characters:

“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, their vision unborrowed, and the response they received – hatred. The great creators – the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors – stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great ne invention was denounced. The first motor was considered foolish. The airplane was considered impossible. The power loom was considered vicious. Anesthesia was considered sinful. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won.”[1]

“From this simplest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from a single attribute of man – the function of his reasoning mind.”[2]

“And for the benefit of those who consider relevance to one’s own time as of crucial importance, I will add, in regard to our age, that never has there been a time when men have so desperately needed a projection of things as they ought to be.”[3]

Rand stated those words decades ago, and they apply even more so now. Given that humanity keeps snowballing down a hill in a world where morality, common sense and virtues keep getting swept under the rug, such statements and their ramifications should be pondered at length.

Whether you love the book or you hate it, it will give you much to ponder about, especially if you value Freedom and Individuality in any way shape or form.

__________________________________________________________
Sources:

[1] Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead, p. 710.
[2] Ibid., p. 711.
[3] Ibid., p. vii. Written in the Author’s Introduction to the 1968 Edition.

49 people found this helpful

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Ernest V. Pons

This book will make you think

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2016

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This book reads like a novel, but it was intended to be more than that--to present an idea in an engaging way. When I rate the characters as "one-dimensional," that is not a negative. This was done deliberately by the author because each character is an archetype of something. I love this book. I read in my youth and I've re-read it recently. A lot happened after Rand wrote this book. She wrote more on the philosophical front and became quite well known, if not recognized. I won't get into that here. I enjoy this book for what it is. My life was made richer by it, and it will always remain one of my favorite reads of all time.

62 people found this helpful

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Susan

i knew I didn't like Ayn Rand

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2020

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I knew I didn't like her ideology---so extreme, so unyielding, so unatainable. And if somebody actually does manage to attain this perfection, they're nearly impossible for mere mortals to live with. I read this for a book club, gritting my teeth all the way through nearly 800 pages of tiny type. The torture is over.

14 people found this helpful

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Himanshu Sakerwal

REVIEW ABOUT DIFFERENT EDITION

Reviewed in India on September 2, 2018

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THERE ARE SO MANY REVIEWS ABOUT CONTENT OF THE BOOK. HERE I AM SHARING DETAILS ABOUT DIFFERENT EDITION OF THIS BOOK.
THERE are GENERALLY 4 TYPES OF EDITION . ( PHYSICAL BOOKS )
1) MASS MARKET PAPERBACK 2) PAPERBACK 3) HARDCOVER 4) LIBRARY BINDING
THE SURPRISING PART IS THAT THE FOUNTAINHEAD HAVE 730 PAGES. AND ALL EDITION CONTAIN SAME NUMBER OF PAGES.( GENERALLY THERE IS SOME DIFFERENCE)

1) MASS MARKET PAPERBACK :- A Mass market paperback is very small size book. published by publisher too decrease the cost of production and final price. HERE THE mrp is 400 rs. for 730 pages , and because of this the quality of the book is very low . and also the main problem is FONT which is very very very small ,( because large content in very small book) . so for fountainhead i do not suggest you to buy this edition.(there are some other mass market paperback of different books are available , but font in those books are good like 'to kill a mockingbird') ISBN :- 978-0451191151

2) PAPERBACK :- paperbacks are general sized book. the size varies with publishers . but for penguin it is generally 19.6 cm long and 12.7 cm width. there are two different editions according to two different Contries. USA And UK.

first one is fountainhead published by penguin uk modern classics. i prefer this edition to purchase. because the size is large compare mass market paperback and have 19.6 cm length and 13 cm width. The font is small but compare to mass market paperback , font is good. The paper quality is also good.(not great) binding is also good. But the main thing is price. Price is great . This edition is available for 200 to 400 rs. Which is great thing because book is printed in UK. ( Indian printing is cheap)

The us edition was published by PLUME. The size is large compare to UK paperback. But the price is very high . You have to import the book. So I suggest you don't go for this Edition.

ISBN Penguin UK edition :- 978-0141188621
ISBN USA PLUME edition :- 9780452273337

3) HARDCOVER :- the Hardcovers are generally most expensive one .because of sewn binding and hard cover. The fountainhead Hardcover edition is published by Penguin USA under centennial Hardcover edition. The book is big . But contain same no. Of pages. So if you are in love with the fountainhead and want to collect it then go for this edition.for this you have to search " Ayn Rand Hardcover" on amazon.in ( otherwise you will not find this book ) this will cost you -between 1000 to 2000. You can also import this edition from Amazon.co.uk

ISBN Hardcover Edition:-978-0452286757

4) Library Binding :- These are Mass market paperback in the cloths of low quality Hard Cover. So here , soft cover of a mass market paperback is Removed and then a low quality Hard cover is attached to same mass market paperback. This is done by third party . In the case of fountainhead it is done by TURTLEBACK book. Do not go for this edition. As they are made from mass market paperback .fonts are too small. And too close.
this edition does not deserve ISBN , waste of money

In short best value for money edition is penguin uk edition.

Penguin uk edition link The Fountainhead (Penguin Modern Classics) https://www.amazon.in/dp/0141188626/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9APJBb3V66CH6

Thank You.

Images

1) comparison of mass market paperback and paperback
2) fountainhead uk
3) fountainhead Plume USA
4) library binding
5) hardcover
6) comparison of massmarket paperback , paperback and hardcover.
7) aboslutely brilliant edition

p.s. :- the font in THE UK edition is also small, but compare to mass market paperback fonts are good. this problem is because of the content,that is the content of the book is very large, so if a publisher decides to publish this book with big fonts, the book will easily take 1100-1200 pages . and in that case , the book may become very expensive.

edit 1 :- I Purchased hardcover edition of ATLAS SHRUGGED And it is absolutely brilliant , in all aspects. ( image 6 and 7 )

there is another paperback edition of The Fountainhead. which is published in USA . have similar cover and size same as hardcover. ( ISBN for this paperback edition is 9780452286375)

345 people found this helpful

H. Silvennoinen

A thought-provoking yet entertaining classic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2013

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I started reading the Fountainhead because I came across the author's name and the term "Randian" a number of times during a short time. (I am from Finland, where Rand is not well known.) I was intrigued by her reputation as a die hard defender of individualism and capitalism and thought that reading her would be relevant amid all the debate over bankers' bonuses, bailouts and the future of the welfare state. I also sometimes wonder about the virtues of individualism on a personal level, which made me all the more interested in reading about Rand's characters, who symbolise individualism and its rival "ideologies." The lives and fates of the characters reveal Rand's take on the merits, implications and outcomes of the thought systems that they each embody.

The novel's hero is Howard Roark, an architect who is the archetype of individualism. Career-wise he is talented, passionate, and uncorrupted: he will not compromise his artistic vision in order to get a lucrative commission no matter how dire a financial strait he is in. He is similarly pure in all facets of life, refusing to feign friendship with anyone, or to sacrifice himself for anyone even though this often causes him much trouble and suffering. Roark's life is noble and contrasts sharply with that of his peer since college, Peter Keating, who symbolises the spinelessness that most people possess to some degree. Unlike Roark, Keating lives for everyone but himself: as an architect, he has no style of his own and craves recognition rather than self-expression. Even in his love life, the most personal thing of all, he lets the opinions of others dictate his actions. Although he has an influential network and is a member of high society, Keating's relations with people are hollow and unfulfilling, whereas Roark's are meaningful and deep.

Roark's real antagonist is Toohey the socialist. Unlike Keating, who cannot articulate the reasons for his discomfort with Roark, Toohey understands Roark perfectly and despises all that he represents. Roark exudes strength and independence; Toohey has always protected and sided with the weak (both in his personal life and professionally, as a socialist agitator and writer). He is one of the few who recognises Roark's genius, but is intent on destroying him. In Toohey's opinion, Roark and his wonderful buildings would not inspire and elevate the rest of the population, but rather depress them by showing them what greatness people are capable of, but which they themselves never will be. Toohey advocates the sacrifice of individual achievement and self-expression to egalitarianism through mediocrity, and is portrayed as the most despicable character of the novel. The life of his niece, Catherine, demonstrates the result of living according to Toohey's philosophy. She devotes herself to her career as a social worker, completely abandoning her own needs in favour of those of societys' weakest members. Rather than finding the fulfilment that Toohey promised she would in relieving herself of her own ego, she feels bitter and empty to the point of losing her humanity. There could be no clearer indictment of socialism than this. Rand suggests that if, by contrast, everyone lived like Roark and pursued their own self-interest, all human relations would be purer and people would be happier and more fully human. This is, of course, the classic argument for capitalism.

Rand's worldview is very black and white. As many have noted, her characters are one-dimensional vehicles to express ideas, and are hardly realistic. Roark is presented as the ideal human being and seems to have no internal contradictions or flaws, while Keating lacks any redeeming qualities. Rand seems to be very contemptuous of the average person, represented in the novel by the mindless readers of a filthy tabloid newspaper called the Gazette. She idealizes Roark's strength, creativity and resolution but has no regard for other values such as kindness, cooperation and altruism. This, of course, is her point: that it would be best for individuals and society if everyone uncompromisingly pursued their own interest. This idea has been acknowledged as overly-simplified in economics, and I think it is also that on an individual level. In my opinion, altruism, cooperation and wanting to be accepted by others are fundamental aspects of human nature, albeit more present in some people than others. The quality of seeking others' approval, which Rand so scorns in Keating, has been seen by for example Adam Smith as the very glue that holds our society together and creates the basis of our morality.

Precisely because of its polarization, The Fountainhead is extremely thought-provoking and inspiring. It does not surprise me that many people have described it as a life-changing work: who couldn't help but admire someone as strong, free and independent as Roark. Although I do not believe that it would be possible or desirable for everyone to become like him, I do think that most people would benefit from trying to adopt some of his qualities. In this sense the fountainhead is very inspiring and perhaps for some, life-changing. It is also a very engaging and entertaining read which touches upon debates that are relevant today. I highly recommend it.

109 people found this helpful

Kleshtrem

A Joke

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2019

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So boring it's not even funny. It reminded me of a fun joke that sums up the book and makes it more entertaining:
Ayn Rand, Rand Paul, and Paul Ryan walk into a bar. The bartender serves them tainted alcohol because there are no regulations. They die.

12 people found this helpful

Dhinesh Vikraman B P

If you are seeing this, take a step further too to let this book inside your world..

Reviewed in India on June 13, 2019

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One of the best books ever written... Ayn Rand is not for everybody... I don't know, I can't guarantee you that you might like this... The first time when I read this book when I was a college kid, I wasn't immediately interested, took way too long to slowly complete... Now when I bought and read it again, i couldn't stop reading it.. It's beautiful in it's own way... If you come this far in finding this book and reading my review, I do believe this is definitely worth a shot for you... After all what life is, if it is without little risks....

28 people found this helpful

S.A.

Pages falling off killed the reading experience

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Was very excited about the book because it came highly recommended by a mentor. But, disappointingly, the pages started falling off when I started reading. I’m guessing it’s a problem with the binding.

Unfortunately I left it more than a month before properly reading the book so well past the return window. Would recommend buyers return ASAP if you have a similar problem. Especially as it seems like Penguin are the only publishers of the book.

5 people found this helpful

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