The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand · first published 1943
45% recommend43% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Philosophical novel, using architecture as its frame, about integrity, individualism and love of one's work; readers say it motivates young people and builders and is a better entry to Rand than Atlas Shrugged.
Common criticism: Some find the prose overlong and poorly written, and the ideas oversimplified
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. It was Rand's first major literary success and brought her fame and financial success. More than 6.5 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide.
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The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. These two books taught me the importance of being true to one's values and not sacrificing them under any circumstances. They introduced me to Individualism and Objectivism…
on “Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?” ↗I hate to say it, but The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. The book itself is largely dull, overwritten, and characters are afflicted with "Ayn Rand Syndrome" - where the protagonists are always perfect and the world around them is fundamentally…
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗…Lovecraft. Sure enough, that's exactly what it is. As soon as I encountered the phrase "computational demonologist" I knew I was in the right place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apocalypse_Codex The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand. I like to read this for inspiration every now and again. Howard Roark is one of my favorite characters and I aspire to be more like him. Unfortunately, to date, I think I'm closer to Gail…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is one I've given adults. For kids, every year a local group called Book Harvest does a thing with Barnes & Noble where if you go in a B&N store, you can donate a book straight to Book Harvest…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me. Off the top of my head: Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury The Game - Neil Strauss The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank Business @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki
on “What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?” ↗Other books that influence how I build software: "The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts" by Harry Binswanger, "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand, "The Autobiography of an Idea" by Louis H. Sullivan, "Reason and Analysis" by Brand Blanshard
on “What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?” ↗The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand The Art Of The Start - Guy Kawasaki The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman
on “Ask HN: What are your greatest books?” ↗…would probably top my list. Some other books that I find deserving of the at least occasional re-read (if not yearly) The Soul of a New Machine - Kidder Hackers - Levy False Memory - Dean Koontz The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand Neuromancer - William Gibson Nineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne
on “Ask HN: What books do you recommend reading once a year?” ↗…William Gibson - The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - False Memory by Dean Koontz I think a good case could be made for a handful of others also. Specifically: - Nineteen Eighty Four by Orwell - The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - Foundation by Asimov - The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien are all strong contenders as well.
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗Personally for me Fountainhead by Ayn Rand was transformative. Creators need to be respected and identified. Great Leaders often have this knack of reading people and using them appropriately.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗It's hard to know what somebody else will find inspiring, but I can share a handful that I personally found to be so: The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand It's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong Ultramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes Charles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly Report From Engine Co 82 - Dennis…
on “Ask HN: What are some good inspirational and uplifting books?” ↗The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Much of what makes an audiobook great is the reader's grasp of the material. Both of these books are great works of literature, but the skill of the reader makes…
on “Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?” ↗…reading her at sixteen got me largely out of the depressive "I'm a cog in the school system" mood I was in, and it has that effect on a lot of people. As far as books worth reading as a young adult go, The Fountainhead is way up there. It gets you happier and healthier going out than you were coming in, and even once you lose that belief that Rand is right about everything, she's incredible pulp reading, up there with…
on “An open letter to Steve Jobs about approving the amber alert application” ↗Two good books I read recently: 1) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku 2) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet. So cannot compare them.) Yesterday I finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it is a very good book too. Currently reading: What They Teach you at Harvard…
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell Brave New World - Aldous Huxley Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand Foundation Trilogy -Isaac Asimov The Game: Penetrating The Secret Society of Pickup Artists - Neil Strauss The Law - Frédéric Bastiat Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Friedrich Nietzsche The Moon…
on “Ask HN: what non technical books changed your life ?” ↗