Drawing on a hundred previously unpublished interviews with Ayn Rand's relatives, friends, and associates, as well as scholars, actors, and other writers, Rand scholar and oral historian Scott McConnell presents this unique portrait of the literary giant. From Rand's youngest sister to the woman who inspired the character of Peter Keating in The Fountainhead, McConnell focuses on the private Rand, uncovering personal, affectionate, sometimes surprisingly candid insights. "When Gary [Cooper] didn't like something in the script and wanted to change it, King Vidor said, 'Well, we'll have to send for Ayn Rand,' remembers Patricia Neal, for one. "And Gary would say, 'Oh, well, I'll do it as written'."