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Ayn Rand
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The Fountainhead Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 1996

by Ayn Rand (Author), Leonard Peikoff (Afterword)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 10,848 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
Previous page
  1. Print length
    720 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Signet
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    4.19 x 1.43 x 6.88 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0451191153
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0451191151
  8. Lexile measure
    780L
  9. See all details
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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 1.43 x 6.88 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 10,848 ratings

About the author

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Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand

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Ayn Rand's first novel, We the Living, was published in 1936, followed by Anthem. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved spectacular and enduring success. Rand's unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience and maintains a lasting influence on popular thought. The fundamentals of her philosophy are set forth in such books as Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtue of Selfishness, Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal, and The Romantic Manifesto. Ayn Rand died in 1982.

(Image reproduced courtesy of The Ayn Rand® Institute)

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
10,848 global ratings
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1 Star
ridiculous
the pages of the book literally fall out as I am holding the book open. The glue must be failing
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Top reviews from the United States

J
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced, tight and thought-provoking
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2005
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Whether you agree with the ideas Rand presents or think she is one with the devil, "The Fountainhead" is a powerful and moving book that I highly recommend. Although it is long, it is very tightly written. There are no unnecessary scenes, no irrelevant characters and no ad nauseum descriptions of sunsets and waterfalls.

There are several reasons I love this book, none having to do with the controversial philosophies of the author. The first is the amazing characterization. There were several people in the book that could have been drawn directly from people in my life: the social worker who works more out of self-righteousness than pure altruism, the over-blown academic who can read meaning and symbolism in tripe, the professional who cares more about where his work takes him than the quality of the work itself. Rand doesn't draw these as flat characters. Instead we actually see their flaws and motivations in all their beauty and terror.

I also love the idealism of Roark. Several previous reviews have termed him "egotistical" with a "superiority complex", but that isn't how I see him at all. Would a professional who meets those descriptions lower himself to working as a common laborer at a quarry? Roark doesn't care if his work is good or not, let alone that it is superior. All that matters is that it pleases him. He might work a menial job, but he wouldn't debase himself to produce anything but the kind of art that pleases him, whatever anyone else says about its quality.

The insight of the book into the power of the press and the country's growing socialization is another drawing point. I crack up whenever I read the Banner's editorial on parenthood in modern times. It describes how parents need to be just as loving toward and concerned about other children as they are of their own. It reads remarkably like Hillary Clinton's "It Takes a Village". In an age where talentless performers are at the top of the chart because of the right buzz, I can understand the idea that he who controls the media, controls the tastes of the masses.

A common criticism of "The Fountainhead" is the rape of Dominique by the hero. Like so much of the book, it is not something that can be understood if you only view it in a vacuum. Roark and Dominique have an almost transcendental bond. Throughout the book they start in the middle of conversations and understand each other as if they were one. Their violent first sexual encounter is not indicative of Roark's character or of their relationship.

There are some simplistic parts of the book: all capitalists are good, all socialists are bad, wanting to help people and do good is described as an excuse, not a noble motive. Still, there is so much good in this beautiful book that I consider it one that everyone should read.
16 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB writing
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
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I already read the book 3 times, and I enjoy it every time as if it's the first time.---and maybe even more. The writing and the story line are SOSOSO captivating, and the LANGUAGE and vivid imagination in writing the plot make it all come to life!!! Overall, reading this book is extremely satisfying!!!
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William Straus
4.0 out of 5 stars Intoxicating Read, but Curious Characters
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
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Book grabbed me from the outset and found myself unable to put it down. Fascinating for its ideas about self determination and great if you are becoming interested in architecture--as I am. Thought the heroine Dominique made choices about her love life that made no sense. I suppose those choices served the plot but they were counterintuitive throughout. Also Toohey and Wynard were clear in their motivations I suppose, but they ultimately were somehow on the polarities of unexplained and two dimensional. Rourk is what keeps you in the book from the get-go. His frankness and the economy of his profundity is addictive and you want more and more of it. But early on Rand leaves him for large swaths of the book for Keating, who at the end of the day, doesn't amount to so much. At first we almost think it's the story of the two of them. Anyhoo great read and highly recommend it. Rand is a great, gifted writer.
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Paige Turner
5.0 out of 5 stars The WhisperSync feature is nearly perfect and the only glitch that occurs is when there ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2015
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For the review:

The ability to read this book across devices is invaluable! I can read this book on my kindle, on my iPhone while waiting in line, on the PC on my desktop, and even listen to the audible version while I stand on a crowded subway. The WhisperSync feature is nearly perfect and the only glitch that occurs is when there is no coverage in the subway. This is a very enjoyable way to read books and the transition between reading and listening is so seamless that it begins to feel very natural. You can read a long book like this much more quickly this way.

The novel is one of ideas, ways of looking at life, and a story of characters who live those ideals.

Quotes:

First, from the introduction:
"This is the motive and purpose of my writing: the projection of an ideal man."

"IT is a sense of enormous expectation, the sense that one's life is important, that great achievements are within one's capacity, and that great things lie ahead."

"The Fountainhead's lasting appeal: it is a confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man's glory, showing how much is possible."

"It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the full reality of man's proper stature - and that the rest will betray it. It is those few that move the world and give life its meaning. The rest are no concern of mine, it is not me or The Fountainhead that they will betray: it is their own souls."

First sentence:
"Howard Roark laughed."

"My dear follow, who will let you?" "That's not the point. The point is, who will stop me?"

Roark:
"I can find the joy only if I do my work in the best way possible to me. But the best is a matter of standards - and I set my own standards."
"I don't propose to force or be forced. Those who want me will come to me."
"You've made a mistake already. By asking me. By asking anyone. Never ask people. Not about your work. Don’t you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know? How can you let others decide for you?"
"One can't collaborate on one's own job. I can co-operate, with the workers who erect my buildings. But I can't help them to lay bricks and they can't help me to design the house."
"I don't believe in government housing. I don't want to hear anything about its noble purposes. I don’t think they're noble."
"The only thing that matters, my goal, my reward, my beginning, my end is the work itself. My work done my way."
"When you suspend your faculty of independent judgement, you suspend consciousness."
"Every form of happiness is private. Our greatest moments are personal, self-motivated, not to be touched. The things which are sacred or precious to us are the things we withdraw from promiscuous sharing."

On Dominique Francon and her first relations with Roark:
"the sensation of a defiling pleasure."
"the exaggerated fragility of her body against the sky."
"He stood looking up at her; it was not a glance, but an act of ownership."
"She thought of being broken- not by a man she admired, but by a man she loathed. She let her head fall down on her arm; the thought left her weak with pleasure."
"He did it not as love, but as defilement. And this made her lie still and submit."
"The act of a master taking shameful, contemptuous possession of her was the kind of rapture she had wanted."
"She had found joy in her revulsion, in her terror and his strength. That was the degradation she had wanted."
"Through the fierce sense of humiliation, the words gave her the same kind of pleasure she had felt in his arms."
"when they were in bed together it was - as it had to be, as the nature of the act demanded - an act of violence. It was surrender mad the more complete by the force of their resistance."
She even wrote: "Howard Roark is the Marquis de Sade of Architecture."
"He defeated her by admitting her power."
"She felt no thrill of conquest; she felt herself owned more than ever."

Roark's apartment:
"His new home was one large room in a small, modern apartment house on a quiet street. His room contained a few pieces of simple furniture; it looked clean, vast and empty; one expected to hear echoes from its corners."

Roark's office:
"His staff loved him. They did not realize it and would have been shocked to apply such a term as love to their cold, unapproachable, inhuman boss. But working with him, they knew that he was none of these things, but they could not explain, neither what he was nor what they felt for him."
"He responded only to the essence of a man: to his creative capacity. In this office one had to be competent. But if a man worked well, he needed nothing else to win his employer's benevolence: it was granted, not as a gift, but as a debt. It was granted, not as affection, but as recognition. It bred an immense feeling of self-respect within every man in that office."
"They knew only, in a dim way, that it was not loyalty to him, but to the best within themselves."

Ellsworth Toohey:
"Reason can be fought with reason. How are you going to fight with the unreasonable?"
"To write a good play and to have it praised is nothing. Anybody with talent can do that- and talent is a glandular accident. But to write a piece of crap and have it praised - will, you can't match that."

Gail Wynand:
"The man humbled his own wealth."
"When I look at the ocean, I feel the greatness of man."
"I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York's skyline."
"The sky over New York and the will of man, made visible. What other religion do we need? Is it beauty and genius they want to see? Do they seek a sense of the sublime? Let them come to New York, stand on the shore of the Hudson, look and kneel."
"I never meet the men whose work I love. The work means too much to me. I don’t want the men to spoil it. They usually do. They're an anticlimax to their own talent."
"Anger made me work harder."
"The walls of Wynand's office were made of cork and copper paneling and had never borne any pictures."
10 people found this helpful
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TonyVinayak
5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time classic
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024
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I’ve read this book a few times. Just read it again. Ayn Rand, even through being an immigrant, had an amazing command over English language. The way she wrote, several decades ago, still seems fresh. The ideals of libertarianism is what the book is all about. I personally got over those ideals a long time ago, but still find it fascinating to read. I can also see how this book lays the foundation for “Atlas Shrugged”
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Mark Crawford
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
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Rand philosophy was marvelously played it with quite poignant characters. It's quite a tribute to re state of man and his creativity.
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Adam
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to open your mind!
Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2024
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Originally bought it because it was featured in the classic movie "Dirty Dancing" I had no idea what I was getting into but I'm glad I did! Highly recommend if you haven't read any of her stuff before!
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Benito
5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro que eventualmente todos debíamos leer
Reviewed in Mexico on September 29, 2021
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El libro no es de fácil lectura, algunos personajes son complicados, pero este antagonismos lo que le da esencia al libro y la profundidad de los diálogos y monólogos de y entre los personajes llevan al lector a comprender la filosofía del Individualismo y su valor Vs su antagónico Colectivismo
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wannabe Batman
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
Reviewed in India on March 27, 2024
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classic
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Carlos Ruivo
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to understand life
Reviewed in Italy on July 1, 2021
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Do you want to be a creative independence individual or a person who just lives by being afraid of what others might think of him?

This book brilliantly describes these kind of attitudes towards life and its consequences.
2 people found this helpful
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Tauane Franca
5.0 out of 5 stars Vai abrir seus olhos
Reviewed in Brazil on August 8, 2018
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The Fountainhead vai fazer você olhar o mundo e a si mesmo de uma maneira diferente. Ele vai além dos fatos, ações e até motivos superficiais. Os personagens são mais que tridimensionais, são tão profundos e complicados que é necessário reflexão para compreender o que está acontecendo. È uma leitura longa, (694 páginas) mas a cada capítulo ela fica melhor.
5 people found this helpful
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