To Ruth E. Meilandt [Letter 239]

This letter was previously published only on the Ayn Rand Institute website.

August 5, 1946

Miss Ruth E. Meilandt
Pamphleteers, Inc.
1151 South Broadway
Los Angeles 15, California

Dear Miss Meilandt: 

I am sorry if I seem to be giving you difficulties, but since you wanted the cover of ANTHEM to please me, I must tell you my true opinion, which is: that the change in lettering has practically ruined the appearance of the cover. It has thrown it out of balance, and the narrow lettering does not stand out as the original lettering on the drawing would have. 

If changing this now will involve too much trouble and delay, I suppose you will have to let it go as it is. If it is still possible to change it, I would like you to have the lines within the oval hand-lettered in the kind of bold letters you had before. Since we have spent this much time on the cover, I would like very much to have it right and not to spoil it by a detail of this nature. Please charge the cost of the alterations and of the new lettering to me. I will be glad to bear this cost, as I think it is worth it. 

Sincerely,

Ayn Rand

On August 16, 1946, Meilandt responded that she will send Rand “a photostat of the finished sketch for your approval.” And on August 19, 1946, Rand replied that “the revised cover which you sent me…looks fine now, and I am looking forward to getting the finished copies of the book.”