Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957 Random House, Second Printing)

A desirable early printing of Ayn Rand’s monumental novel Atlas Shrugged, published by Random House in 1957, the same year as the first edition. The copyright page clearly states Second Printing, making this the second printing of the first edition.

This copy retains its original George Salter-designed dust jacket, the striking teal, purple, black, and red design associated with the first issue of the book. The jacket remains complete and visually strong, with moderate edge wear, rubbing, small chips and short tears, most notably at the spine ends and upper corners. The rear jacket panel retains the iconic photograph of Rand and her printed statement describing Atlas Shrugged as the full realization of ideas introduced in The Fountainhead. The jacket is not a later reproduction.

Bound in the publisher’s original turquoise-green cloth with Ayn Rand’s gilt “AR” monogram to the front board and a black-and-gilt title label to the spine. The cloth remains bright and attractive with only light shelf wear. The text block is substantial and square, with the original blue topstain still visible, though faded and somewhat mottled from age. The fore-edge shows expected age toning and some unevenness consistent with a nearly seventy-year-old copy.

Internally, the pages are generally clean and well preserved. The binding remains sound. The front and rear endpapers show age toning, while the jacket flaps show some toning and handling wear. No major internal staining or extensive annotation is visible in the photographs provided.

Rand’s final novel and her most extensive fictional statement of Objectivism, Atlas Shrugged imagines an increasingly regulated United States in which the country’s leading industrialists, inventors, and creators begin disappearing. Railroad executive Dagny Taggart and steel magnate Hank Rearden struggle to keep their businesses functioning as economic and political institutions collapse around them, while the mysterious question “Who is John Galt?” becomes central to the novel. The book explores individualism, reason, capitalism, personal responsibility, government power, and the role of productive achievement in society.

This is a particularly appealing copy for collectors because it combines a very early 1957 printing with the original period dust jacket. Second printings are substantially more collectible than the numerous later Random House printings, especially when the original jacket survives.

A new clear Brodart protective cover will be included to protect and preserve the original dust jacket.