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The Great Gatsby
by FITZGERALD, F. Scott
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine
- Seller
-
Rocky River, Ohio, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Chatto and Windus, 1926. First U.K. Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Fine. Octavo, 218pp. A stunning copy, bound in full crushed deep blue Levant goatskin, with gilt edges, borders, dentelles, and elaborate spine compartments. French marbled endpapers. Original navy cloth from boards and spine bound in at rear. An exquisitely beautiful copy of the truly rare first UK edition of Fitzgerald's undisputed masterpiece. Matthew Bruccoli, Fitzgerald's premier bibliographer, notes that just 3,000 copies of the UK edition were printed, compared to the ~20,000 examples of the first American printing. Those 3,000 copies were bound in two different cloths--navy and maroon--navy having established priority. "The Great Gatsby" was received with ambivalence upon publication, and with Fitzgerald off in Europe and dead within fifteen years of its first appearance, the author never enjoyed public or critical recognition for it in his lifetime. Fitzgerald often expressed a desire to earn a literary reputation in England, another chance that eluded him during his lifetime, and is evidenced by the small print run. To emphasize the scarcity of this UK edition, we count just about 20 holdings in worldwide libraries; it's also unclear how many of those are in the first binding. By comparison, OCLC records well over 1,000 holdings of the first American edition. A true rarity of modern literature, in a very handsome presentation.
Synopsis
Written in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be one of the author’s greatest works. Set in New York City and Long Island during the Roaring Twenties, the focus of the story is (of course) its title character, Jay Gatsby, and his unswerving desire to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. However, Nick Carraway, who happens to be both Gatsby’s neighbor and Daisy’s cousin, narrates Gatsby's journey from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death. The Great Gatsby is undoubtedly one of the greatest American literary documents of the 1920s, the decade for which Fitzgerald himself coined the term “Jazz Age.” However, in writing the book, Fitzgerald was in fact holding up a mirror to the society of which he was a part. In true Modernist fashion, The Great Gatsby addresses the social issues of the period — namely materialism and displaced spirituality — that ultimately led the decline of the era. The novel’s initial sales situation was less than impressive; fewer than 25,000 copies were sold by Fitzgerald’s death in 1940. But The Great Gatsby gained great popularity during WWII as the critical mainstream began to embrace the author’s work. The Armed Services Editions circulated 150,000 copies to troops alone. Today, The Great Gatsby has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, sells an additional 500,000 copies annually, and is Scribner's most popular title. Ranked #2 on the Modern Library’s list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century, the novel is also listed on their Top 100 Novels as well as The Observer’s All-Time 100 Best Novels and Time Magazine’s 100 Best Modern Novels. The Great Gatsby has resulted in a number of adaptations, including Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton.
Reviews
On Dec 31 2016, a reader said:
I agree... Shows power of media influence, especially after Mia Farrow's abysmal performance as "Daisy">.
The book was required reading in high school, and really overpriced, story mediocre.
On Sep 28 2015, a reader said:
Instead of buying this book use the money to put a child through college
On Dec 7 2004, Pazzo Books said:
Not even his third best book, and one of the most overblown pieces of literature ever written. Critics and high-school teachers have turned what is essentially an interesting period piece into one of the unquestioned giants of literature. Try Tender is the Night.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Cleveland Book Company
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 9747
- Title
- The Great Gatsby
- Author
- FITZGERALD, F. Scott
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First U.K. Edition, First Printing
- Publisher
- Chatto and Windus
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1926
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Fine bindings, Gift books, English literature
Terms of Sale
Cleveland Book Company
All books are returnable within ten days if returned in the same condition as sent. All books in my inventory are authenticated and described to the industry's highest standard of professionalism. Payment should accompany order if you are a new customer. Current customers will be invoiced with payment due in 30 days. Institutions billed per their requirements. ALL ITEMS SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE. Books sent via US Postal Service unless other arrangements are requested. INTERNATIONAL PURCHASES WILL BE SHIPPED AT THE EXACT COST. NOTE: USPS NO LONGER SHIPS SURFACE MAIL TO OVERSEAS. Where possible, we will ship GLOBAL PRIORITY, minimum charge of $23.95, maximum weight 4 pounds. For packages over 4 pounds, you will be contacted with exact charges. Ohio residents please add 5.75% sales tax. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, and AMERICAN EXPRESS.
About the Seller
Cleveland Book Company
Biblio member since 2017
Rocky River, Ohio
About Cleveland Book Company
We are proud members of the ABAA.
As a small, independent bookseller in Cleveland, Ohio, I deal in general used, rare, and antiquarian books, autographs, manuscripts, pamphlets, and personal and family papers in all subjects. My family has been in the antiquarian book business since 1971. Are you moving, downsizing, or doing some spring cleaning? Did you inherit or otherwise come into some old books? Or, maybe you've collected modern novels from the last thirty or fifty years. No matter what kinds of books you have, we'd love to take a look at them! We travel throughout Ohio, western Pennsylvania and New York, southern Michigan, and eastern Indiana, and will travel farther in some cases to look at whole libraries or even just a few particularly interesting books. Give us a call at (216) 352-3940 and we can talk more about the kinds of books you have.
As a small, independent bookseller in Cleveland, Ohio, I deal in general used, rare, and antiquarian books, autographs, manuscripts, pamphlets, and personal and family papers in all subjects. My family has been in the antiquarian book business since 1971. Are you moving, downsizing, or doing some spring cleaning? Did you inherit or otherwise come into some old books? Or, maybe you've collected modern novels from the last thirty or fifty years. No matter what kinds of books you have, we'd love to take a look at them! We travel throughout Ohio, western Pennsylvania and New York, southern Michigan, and eastern Indiana, and will travel farther in some cases to look at whole libraries or even just a few particularly interesting books. Give us a call at (216) 352-3940 and we can talk more about the kinds of books you have.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Goatskin
- Goatskin, leather made from goat, is durable and easy to dye. The original and finest examples of Morocco binding are goatskin....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
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