HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Loading...

The Fountainhead (original 1943; edition 1996)

by Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
19,143261244 (3.84)279
Here is the story of an intransigent young architect, Howard Roark, of his violent battle against a mindless status quo, and of his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who worships him yet struggles to defeat him. In order to build his kind of buildings according to his own standards, Roark must fight against every variant of human corruption.… (more)
Member:Jane_Fung
Title:The Fountainhead
Authors:Ayn Rand
Other authors:Leonard Peikoff
Info:Signet (1996), Mass Market Paperback, 720 pages
Collections:Your library, To read
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1943)

  1. 103
    Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (bigtent21, thebookpile)
    bigtent21: "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" are becoming more relevant as we head into 2009. Large Government Buyouts and Regulation are the scourge of Atlas Shrugged and the outright sponsoring of mediocrity predominates The Fountainhead. Rand can be long-winded, but these two books are must reads regardless of your own personal beliefs.… (more)
  2. 41
    Essays on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead by Robert Mayhew (mcaution)
    mcaution: Gain a deeper understanding and appreciation on the classic novel from this collection of scholarly criticism.
  3. 42
    Anthem by Ayn Rand (Voracious_Reader)
  4. 11
    Progress by Charles Stampul (PeerlessPress)
  5. 00
    Calumet "K" by Samuel Merwin (Cecrow)
  6. 02
    Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox (SunnySD)
  7. 35
    Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle (Anonymous user)
    Anonymous user: The real world results of libertarianism.
  8. 02
    The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham (edwinbcn)
  9. 03
    Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland (Alixtii)
  10. 29
    Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Voracious_Reader)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 279 mentions

English (238)  Spanish (3)  French (3)  Hebrew (2)  Dutch (1)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Italian (1)  Catalan (1)  All languages (250)
Showing 1-5 of 238 (next | show all)
The epic clash between individualism and conformity, "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand is an excellent portrayal of her philosophy of Objectivism, which emphasizes individualism, rational self-interest, and the pursuit of one's own happiness. In it, Rand explores themes of creativity, integrity, and the struggle between the individual and society, and offers a warning for those tempted to sacrifice one's principles for societal approval. I’ve read it and Atlas Shrugged several times, and whether one loves or loathes "The Fountainhead," it undeniably remains a thought-provoking and influential work that continues to stimulate intellectual discourse. ( )
  Andrew.Lafleche | Feb 29, 2024 |
Brilliant, Amazing and Remarkable
I shouldn't and couldn't review this book, nothing but the silence for the greatness of this book. ( )
  point5a | Sep 8, 2023 |
One the most influential books i've ever read in my life. Real good stuff. ( )
  kmaxat | Aug 26, 2023 |
Four stars strictly from the standpoint of the individual artist (or architect). No further endorsement of Rand's philosophy extending beyond the creation of a work of art is intended or implied. ( )
  pcooleybeck | Jul 17, 2023 |
Honestly, this book was kind of terrible. The only thing saving it from a worse score was that the prose was incredibly easy to follow (read at about a 7th grade reading level I'd guess) and the plot wasn't too bad to read. So even though it wasn't particularly enjoyable, it was an easy read.

The characters were terrible. Every time we got into the thought process of one of the characters, I thought to myself "Is this what it's like to be a psychopath?" Almost none of the characters had any empathy or remorse, and the ones that did, were painted as pathetic and weak. I cheered for the downfall of almost every single character in the book. I generally don't have to "root for" a character to enjoy a book, but dang. It sure makes it easier.

The themes were shallow and childish. Painting selfishness as a virtue and empathy as a weakness is such a hilariously cringy, childish theme, and I can't believe anyone other than misguided teenagers would get anything philosophical out of this crap. I understand why incels are drawn to Rand now.

I will say, I really enjoyed the discourse on architecture and structural engineering of houses and skyscrapers. I found that legitimately interesting to read about, which makes sense, given that I am a Civil Engineer. ( )
  Andjhostet | Jul 4, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 238 (next | show all)
[Miss Rand] has written a hymn in praise of the individual and has said things worth saying in these days. Whether her antithesis between altruism and selfishness is logically correct or not, she has written a powerful indictment.
 

» Add other authors (11 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Rand, Aynprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Hurt, ChristopherNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Peikoff, LeonardAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Van Rheenen, JanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
"Whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man's nature and of life's potential." _____Ayn Rand
Dedication
To Frank O'Connor
First words
Howard Roark laughed.
Quotations
To say "I love you" one must first be able to say the "I".
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Here is the story of an intransigent young architect, Howard Roark, of his violent battle against a mindless status quo, and of his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who worships him yet struggles to defeat him. In order to build his kind of buildings according to his own standards, Roark must fight against every variant of human corruption.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary
The selfless man is/acting as his own builder/and as destroyer (missteacher)

Legacy Library: Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.

See Ayn Rand's legacy profile.

See Ayn Rand's author page.

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.84)
0.5 28
1 254
1.5 22
2 315
2.5 45
3 664
3.5 124
4 1239
4.5 160
5 1559

Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

» Publisher information page

HighBridge

An edition of this book was published by HighBridge.

» Publisher information page

HighBridge Audio

An edition of this book was published by HighBridge Audio.

» Publisher information page

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,188,960 books! | Top bar: Always visible