The Fountainhead
A relatively accessible major novel that introduces Rand's central themes of independence, creative achievement, and individual judgment.
Author guide
Ayn Rand Books in Order
Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was a Russian-American writer and philosopher. Born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum in Saint Petersburg, she immigrated to the United States in 1926 and worked as a screenwriter before becoming known for her novels, including We the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. Through her fiction and nonfiction, she developed and presented Objectivism, a philosophical system emphasizing reason, objective reality, individual rights, rational self-interest, and laissez-faire capitalism. Her later publications include essays, lectures, correspondence, journals, early fiction, dramatic works, and writings from her Russian period.
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Anthem
A short fictional introduction to Rand's themes of individual identity and resistance to collectivism.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (12)
- The Early Ayn Rand
fiction-collection · 1984
- We the Living
novel · 1936
This book is about a young woman named Kira Argounova who is trying to live during the Soviet takeover of Russia. Kira wants to be an engineer, but the lack of freedom in Soviet Russia oppresses her. She becomes involved in a love…
- Anthem
novel · 1938
Anthem is a tale of a future dark age of the great “we” – a world that deprives individuals of name, independence, and values. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an…
- The Fountainhead
novel · 1943
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…
- Atlas Shrugged
novel · 1957
Set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life-from the productive genius who becomes…
- For the New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
nonfiction · 1961
Here is Ayn Rand’s first non-fiction work—a challenge to the prevalent philosophical doctrines of our time and the “atmosphere of guilt, of panic, of despair, of boredom, and of all-pervasive evasion” that they create. As incisive and…
- Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology
nonfiction · 1967
Today man's mind is under attack by all the leading schools of philosophy. We are told that we cannot trust our senses, that logic is arbitrary, that concepts have no basis in reality. Ayn Rand opposes that torrent of nihilism, and she…
- The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution
nonfiction · 1971
- The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers
nonfiction · 2000
In 1958, Ayn Rand, already the world-famous author of such bestselling books as Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, gave a private series of extemporaneous lectures in her own living room on the art of fiction. Tore Boeckmann and Leonard…
- The Art of Nonfiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers
nonfiction · 2001
A remarkable series of lectures on the art of creating effective nonfiction by one of the 20th century's most profound writers and thinkers--now available for the first time in print.Culled from sixteen informal lectures Ayn Rand…
- Ayn Rand Answers: The Best of Her Q&A
nonfiction · 2005
Nonfiction (1)
- Journals of Ayn Rand
journals · 1997
Short fiction (1)
- Ideal
novelette · 2015
"Originally conceived as a novel but then transformed into a play by Ayn Rand, Ideal is the story of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda. Accused of murder, she is on the run, and she turns for help to six fans who have written…
Essays and speeches (7)
- The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism
essay-collection · 1964
- Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
essay-collection · 1966
Presents the author's views on modern society through a series of essays.
- The Romantic Manifesto: A Philosophy of Literature
essay-collection · 1969
In this beautifully written and brilliantly reasoned book, Ayn Rand throws a new light on the nature of art and its purpose in human life. Once again Miss Rand eloquently demonstrates her refusal to let popular catchwords and conventional…
- Philosophy: Who Needs It
essay-collection · 1982
This collection of essays was the last work planned by Ayn Rand before her death in 1982. In it, she summarizes her view of philosophy and deals with a broad spectrum of topics. According to Ayn Rand, the choice we make is not whether to…
- The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought
essay-collection · 1989
- The Ayn Rand Column
essay-collection · 1991
- Russian Writings on Hollywood
essay-collection · 1999
Plays (2)
- Three Plays
play-collection · 2005
- Night of January 16th
play · 1968
Other (2)
- Letters of Ayn Rand
letters · 1995
These remarkable letters cover more than fifty-five years of Ayn Rand's extraordinary life, work, and thought. They begin in 1926, with a note from the twenty-year-old Ayn Rand newly arrived in Chicago from Soviet Russia, an impoverished…
- Objectively Speaking: Ayn Rand Interviewed
interviews · 2009
Frequently asked questions about Ayn Rand
What was Ayn Rand’s real name, and where was she born?
Ayn Rand was born Alisa Rosenbaum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905. She adopted the name Ayn Rand after immigrating to the United States in 1926.
Why did Ayn Rand leave Soviet Russia?
She left in 1926 to pursue filmmaking in the United States and intended to remain there, rather than return to Soviet Russia.
Source: aynrand.org (opens in a new tab)
How did Ayn Rand begin her career in the United States?
After arriving in Hollywood, she worked briefly as a film extra before becoming a writer at DeMille Studios. In 1932, she sold the screenplay “Red Pawn” to Paramount Pictures.
Source: aynrand.org (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Ayn Rand’s philosophy and writing?
Films and Viennese and German operettas were important early artistic influences. Philosophically, Rand identified Aristotle as her only acknowledged intellectual debt.
Sources: aynrand.org (opens in a new tab)courses.aynrand.org (opens in a new tab)
What is Ayn Rand’s legacy today?
Her legacy centers on Objectivism, a philosophy emphasizing objective reality, reason, rational self-interest, individual rights, and laissez-faire capitalism. Her ideas continue to influence libertarians and advocates of limited government, while her papers are preserved by the Library of Congress.
Sources: aynrand.org (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)findingaids.loc.gov (opens in a new tab)