The Fountainhead, which became one of the most influential and widely read philosophical novels of the twentieth century, made Ayn Rand famous. An impassioned proponent of reason, rational self-interest, individualism, and laissez-faire capitalism, she expressed her unique views in numerous works of fiction and non-fiction that have been brought together for the first time in this one-of-a-kind volume.Containing excerpts from all her novels--including Atlas Shrugged, Anthem, and We The Living--The Ayn Rand Reader is a perfect introduction for those who have never read Rand, and provides teachers with an excellent guide to the basics of her viewpoint.

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.

Introduction by Leonard Peikoff

Editor's Preface by Gary Hull

Part One: The Fountainhead

Roark vs. Keating

The Quarry Sequence

The Stoddard Trial

Part Two: Ethics

1. Selfishness

From Roark's Speech

Why "Selfishness"?

The Objectivist Ethics

2. Anti-Altruism

From Galt's Speech

Moral Inflation

The Age of Envy

3. Man, the Rational Animal

Apollo 11

Apollo and Dionysus

How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?

Part Three: Atlas Shrugged

Rearden's Anniversary Party

The John Galt Line

The Abandoned Factory

Directive 10-289

The Tunnel Disaster

Atlantis

Part Four: Basic Philosophy

1. Reason and Reality

Axioms of Objectivism

Faith and Force: The Destroyers of the Modern World

2. Mind and Body

Attila and the Witch Doctor

The Meaning of Sex

Of Living Death

On Emotions, Including Love

3. Theory of Concepts

Concept-Formation

Consciousness and Identity

Abstraction from Abstractions

Induction

Part Five: Early Novels and Politics

1. The Individual vs. the State

Anthem

We the Living

:The PurgeThe Profiteers on Collectivism2. Capitalism vs. Collectivism

What is Capitalism?

Man's Rights

Collectivized "Rights"

On Utilitarianism

Part Six: Romanticism and the Benevolent Universe

1. Romanticism

The Goal of My Writing

What Is Romanticism?

2. The Benevolent Universe

Introduction to Calumet "K"

Letter to a Fan

Don't Let It Go

Recommended Readings