St Marys Books

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

St Marys Books are delighted to be starting off 2017 with a bang, with the acquisition of one of the top five most sought after and valuable first editions of today - The Great Gatsby.

Published in 1925 and written by Scott F. Fitzgerald, it epitomised the 'Roaring Twenties' and weaves a tale of romance and betrayal. America in the early 1920's was an especially prosperous time but class and social divides became more evident as a result. These themes are particularly strong within the novel, and interestingly in an era like today where opulence is revered and wealth inequality is particularly prevalent, Gatsby appears more relevant than ever.

It is a tale that has stood the test of time. Although initially the response was not as strong as Fitzgerald may have hoped, it never actually went out of print, and had a particular resurgence of interest during the 1940's when it was dispatched to soldiers during the Second World War. Today it is widely considered a literary classic, and was even voted the 20th century's best American novel. It has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, with a huge peak of interest in the last few years after the new film adaptation premiered in 2013.

Having said all that, any book collector of first editions will be able to tell you that a lot of the value lies not within the content, or indeed the book itself, but within the accompanying original dustcover. This is particularly true of books from this period, when dustcovers were still regarded a fairly new phenomenon, and they were often discarded. The quality of the paper used at the time means that today even if they are still with the book then the condition is often found lacking. When it comes the Great Gatsby this statement is particularly true, and there are only a handful of copies on the market worldwide with the original dustcover intact.

Interestingly, the cover art for The Great Gatsby was completed before the novel, and Fitzgerald was so enamoured with it, that he informed his publisher that he had actually written it into his book. Depicting disembodied eyes and mouth over a blue skyline with images of naked women reflected in the irises, today the cover art on the first printing of the dustcover is considered one of the most celebrated pieces of art in American literature. It is extremely iconic, and very easily recognisable.

All in all it adds up to an extremely desirable and scarce first edition of the 20th century. Prices are very strong and continue to creep up, with very few copies available at all with the original dustcover outside of the USA. Our example presents particularly well in excellent condition complete with the wonderful original dustcover and comes housed in its own custom made clamshell box. We are proud to say that at the time of writing it is also the cheapest example in comparable condition currently on the market. A great time to buy, and a book that is sure to make a sound investment in years to come.  

Please find full details of the book using the link below. We are happy to answer any further questions you may have, and to accommodate viewing by appointment at the shop.