At 16, I landed in the English class of Mrs. Johnston -- beautiful, talented, very demanding -- at St. Mary's Catholic High in NJ. I'd known of her tough reputation as a teacher, but could not have known she'd influence the rest of my life.

After a week of demonstrating 40 literary terms she'd assigned (onomatopoeia, assonance, other I still recall), Mrs. Johnston tasked us with The Fountainhead, a 700+ page novel I had no intention of reading. ("How dare she," I recall asking myself.) When, after a week, she announced a Monday test on Part 1 (200+ pages), I brought the novel home to start on Page 1. By Monday morning, I'd completed the entire novel without sleeping, scored 100 on my test, and knew that I was on the verge of a lifetime of meaning.

I began reading Atlas the next day. Within a few months, I'd read all paperback editions of all Rand titles and acquired back issues of her Newsletters from her Ayn Rand Letter office on 34 and Madison, NYC. A few months later, I met Ayn Rand after a talk she delivered in Boston. She signed an item I'd brought with me. A collector was born!

Today, Pen Ultimate Rare Books houses the world's largest collection of Ayn Rand manuscripts, signed/rare first editions, and photographs in private hands. We also carry rare and first edition legends and landmarks, penned to last.

Thank you, Mrs. Johnston!