Books

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. First edition. original cloth; custom box. Very Good. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE OF FITZGERALD'S CLASSIC. In 1925, "Scribners published The Great Gatsby, the novel that secured Fitzgerald's enduring fame. He had reached his full maturity as a writer. The work is often described in terms of a meditation or vision of America because of its judicious use of myth, metaphor, and history. When Fitzgerald was first thinking about his third novel in July 1922, he wrote Perkins that he wanted 'to write something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple [and] intricately patterned' (qtd. in Bruccoli, Grandeur, p. 170). He knew that he was working near his peak--his artistic conscience was pure during the ten months of writing Gatsby. In April 1924 he wrote to Perkins from Great Neck, Long Island, 'I feel I have an enormous power in me now, more than I've ever had in a way ... This book will be a consciously artistic achievement and must…

"The Great Gatsby," penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1925, is a classic American novel set in the Jazz Age, exploring themes of wealth, love, decadence, and the American Dream. Narrated by Nick Carraway, the story unfolds in the summer of 1922 on Long Island, New York. Carraway, a Yale graduate and World War I veteran, moves to West Egg, a fictional affluent area, to pursue a career in finance. He becomes neighbors with the mysterious and fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby. Gatsby, known for his lavish parties, remains enigmatic and elusive to most of his guests. His grandiose gatherings aim to attract Daisy Buchanan, Nick's cousin and Gatsby's former lover. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and arrogant man with a volatile nature. Through Nick's eyes, the story reveals Gatsby's obsession with Daisy, stemming from their past romance. Gatsby, born poor, amassed his fortune through questionable means to win Daisy's love. His opulent lifestyle, however, is a facade masking his deep longing for the past and his desire to relive the romantic moments shared with Daisy before World War I separated them. As the plot unravels, tensions escalate among the characters. Tom, suspicious of Gatsby's intentions, exposes his criminal connections and tries to discredit him. Daisy, torn between her love for Gatsby and her social status, struggles with her feelings. Tragedy strikes as the complex web of relationships culminates in a devastating climax. In a sequence of events involving Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, and others, the consequences of their actions and the underlying tensions between old money and new wealth come to a head. Fitzgerald's masterpiece is a scathing critique of the American Dream, revealing the emptiness and moral decay lurking beneath the glamorous facade of wealth and excess. It explores the disillusionment of the Jazz Age, portraying characters driven by ambition, greed, and unattainable dreams. "The Great Gatsby" remains a poignant and timeless portrayal of the human condition and the pursuit of happiness in a society marked by materialism and superficiality.

The initial release of "The Great Gatsby" by Charles Scribner’s Sons occurred in April 1925. This first edition is highly prized among collectors and can be identified by distinct features, such as a typographical error on the dust jacket that spells "jay Gatsby" with a lowercase "j," later corrected by hand in ink or with a stamp. Other distinguishing points in the first edition include specific textual errors on pages 60, 119, 205 (lines 9-10), and 211 (lines 7-8). The cover of this first edition, designed by artist Francis Cugat, is renowned in American literature. It showcases disembodied eyes and a mouth against a blue skyline, with reflections of nude women in the irises. Fitzgerald was reportedly so taken with the artwork, completed before the book, that he modified portions of the text to better integrate it.