The Golden Vanity

SIGNED First Edition, long out of print. Isabel Paterson, author of The God of the Machine (1943), was a crucial and formative influence on Ayn Rand. "Friends recall the young Rand literally 'sitting at the master's feet' as Paterson discussed American history" (Burns, Goddess of the Market, 76-8). The idea for Atlas Shrugged (1957) "came to Rand after a conversation with Paterson in 1943, and Paterson had encouraged her during the work's early stages" (Cox, Culture & Liberty). Evidence of Paterson's influence is evident "in the inscription that Rand wrote in Paterson's copy of The Fountainhead: 'You have been the one encounter in my life that can never be repeated'" (Cox, Woman and the Dynamo). "Of Paterson's novels, The Singing Season (1924) and The Golden Vanity are especially relevant to libertarian ideas" (Cato Institute). The Golden Vanity is both a social comedy of errors and a sardonic view of the Jazz Age and the crash, told through the lives of three self-assertive, distinctly different women. Paterson follows their stories through the economic collapse of 1929 and demonstrates with sophisticated wit that "doing what everyone else is doing" is not the best way to survive such times. Book has no writings or markings of any kind. Unclipped ($2.50) jacket has minor chipping along top/bottom of spine and edges. Very Rare. Book #Pv3313. $2500. We specialize in Rare Ayn Rand, history, and science.