New York Bobbs Merrill 1943. Cloth, 8vo, 754 pages. Later printing of the first edition, with no printings stated but with all the other first edition points. In the second state dustjacket. Red cloth lettered in gilt on the front panel and spine . The dustjacket features a $3.00 price at the base of the front flat and a photo of the author along with three reviews of the book at the rear. All points are present: Page 9: The "9" looks like an "o" at the bottom. Page 321, Line 5: "referred" is spelled "refrred". Page 381, Line 4: The "G" in "G. W. " is slightly smaller. Page 480, Line 2: "Dominique" is spelled "Domininque". Rand was born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum in 1905, into a middle-class family living in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the eldest of three daughters (Alisa, Natasha, and Nora) . Her parents were, Zinovy Zacharovich Rosenbaum and Anna Borisovna Rosenbaum, agnostic and largely non-observant Jews. Her father was a chemist and a successful pharmaceutical entrepreneur who earned the privilege of living outside the Jewish Pale of Settlement. (Wikipedia, 2010) . This book was Rand's first major literary success which became a huge seller, matching the later popularity of Atlas Shrugged. Made into a Hollywood film in 1949, with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal in the lead roles, it has become an enduring piece of literature, more popular now than when published in 1943. On the surface, it is a story of one man, Howard Roark, and his struggles as an architect in the face of a successful rival, Peter Keating, and a newspaper columnist, Ellsworth Toohey. But the book addresses a number of universal themes: the strength of the individual, the tug between good and evil, the threat of fascism. Light use wear to cloth. Inside hinges are starting, but no markings, completely clean inside. Jacket has sunned spine and wear, especially at crown of spine, but is attractive. Overall Good Condition in Good Jacket. (spec-14-21)
