The Fountainhead (Easton Press Collector's Edition, in Two Volumes)

by Ayn Rand

1989 The Easton Press (Norwalk, Connecticut), two 6 3/8 x 9 1/4 inches tall burgundy leather bound volumes, gilt design to covers, four raised bands and gilt lettering to spines, all page edges gilt, ribbon markers sewn in, moire endpapers, illustrated by Victoria Vebell, xvi, 741 pp. Very slight stain to verso of moire front free-endpaper of Volume 2. Otherwise, a very good to near fine set - clean, bright and unmarked. 

This premium collector's edition by the Easton Press presents Rand's monumental 1943 novel in a lavish two-volume format, printed on archival paper with Smyth sewing to ensure lasting durability, and enhanced by the specially commissioned illustrations of Victoria Vebell. 

Ayn Rand (1905-1982), a Russian-American writer and philosopher, achieved enduring fame by introducing her philosophical system of Objectivism through her fiction. The Fountainhead, her first major literary success, centers on the uncompromising young architect Howard Roark, who battles against the conventional standards of the architectural establishment and the broader society that demands conformity. Through Roark's struggle against his rival Peter Keating and the influential architectural critic Ellsworth Toohey, Rand champions the ideals of individualism, rational self-interest, and creative integrity. 

The work remains highly influential, not only as a compelling romantic drama but also as a definitive cultural touchstone that continues to spark debate on the relationship between individual genius and societal expectation.