The Annotated Great Gatsby - by F Scott Fitzgerald (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: A richly illustrated deluxe edition of the American classic, with illuminating commentary by a preeminent Fitzgerald scholar

The most authoritative edition ever published: Read Gatsby exactly as Fitzgerald intended--and get an inside look at its composition and publication

"Sumptuous." --Irish Independent

Boats against the current, we are borne back ceaselessly to The Great Gatsby. Now, in this deluxe annotated anniversary edition, James L. W. West provides running commentary on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, glossing contexts, language, literary allusions, and contemporary references. Dozens of illustrations and photographs throughout the volume vividly recreate the Jazz Age world of Fitzgerald's most famous work and chronicle its rich cultural afterlife, encouraging readers to linger in the margins of this deluxe annotated edition.

Drawn from the authoritative Library of America edition of Fitzgerald's writings, this deluxe edition features:

• A new introduction by Amor Towles, bestselling author of Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow
• A corrected text of Gatsby based on Fitzgerald's composite manuscript, working galleys, and personal copies

• Restored American spellings and emendations made by Fitzgerald throughout the book's life
• 13 annotated letters between Fitzgerald and Gatsby's star editor Maxwell Perkins
• A detailed chronology of Fitzgerald's life and career, plus extensive explanatory and textual notes

With stunning illustrations, insightful commentary, and fascinating insights into the composition, editing, and publication of The Great Gatsby, this 100th anniversary edition of "the Great American novel" is the most authoritative ever published, a must for any fan of this landmark American novel, and anyone interested in the life and literature of the Jazz Age.

Review Quotes

"Sumptuous. . . . Presented beautifully with exhaustive scholarly notes and striking illustrations and photographs, it is essential material for Fitzophiles, packed with social, personal and literary illuminations . . . bringing the book's contemporaneous references back to life again for a modern reader." --Irish Independent

"Surely Fitzgerald would have been thrilled. . . . [The] many illustrations and photographs, and the kinds of gem-like notations that are certain to make lovers of Fitzgerald arcana happy . . . should enhance the experience of someone even on their third or fourth reread." --The Nation

About the Author

Born in 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota, F. SCOTT FITZGERALD dropped out of Princeton University in 1917 to join the army. He met the socialite Zelda Sayre while stationed in Alabama and married her in 1920 after the success of This Side of Paradise. Fame, money, and alcohol took their toll on the young couple. After Zelda was institutionalized, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood in 1937. His experiences there inspired the unfinished novel The Last Tycoon (1941). His major works include The Beautiful and Damned (1922), The Great Gatsby (1925), All the Sad Young Men (1926), and Tender is the Night (1934). Fitzgerald died of heart failure in Hollywood in 1940.
James L. W. West III is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English Emeritus at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of The Perfect Hour: The Romance of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ginerva King, among other works, and was for many years the General Editor of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald.