First devised as a play, then as a magazine serial, Rand reworked Anthem into a novella due to encouragement from her agent. With the writing completed in 1937, Rand submitted the work simultaneously to Cassell and MacMillan, her previous UK and US publishers respectively. Cassell immediately approved Anthem in 1938, however, it's US release was postponed until 1946 due to MacMillan believing, "the author does not understand socialism."
