The Great Gatsby (Annotated)

Haven't read The Great Gatsby yet?

Here are 3 good reasons to do it (and to suggest it to your friends)

1 - You won't get bored

If boredom is not your thing, this is the book for you. Given its age (the first edition came out in 1925) you might be led to think of this work as "a boulder", a heavy piece of writing, but this is not the case. Fitzgerald's style is dynamic, the writing brilliant and expressive. Do not be bored!

2 - You'll Get Richer

No, you won't make a ton of money reading The Great Gatsby, but you will enrich your knowledge by immersing yourself up to the tip of your hair in the unrepeatable era that was "The Roaring Twenties." Jay Gatsby will take you to a New York of parties, alcohol, beautiful women, and jazz music. You'll take a ride on the merry-go-round of the American dream... before it breaks down.

3 - You'll be able to say you've read "A Real Disaster".

Yep, it's not all gold that glitters. If it is true that today The Great Gatsby is considered a masterpiece of American literature, it is equally true that when it was released in bookstores (on April 10, 1925) the reception was not at all what was expected. Most critics agreed that it was "A Real Disaster". The first review ever to be written in New York, just two days after publication, was titled "F. Scott Fitzgerald's Last Disaster."

Not Just Gatsby

What you will find in this volume is the original 1925 edition. No changes of any kind have been made to Fitzgerald's text, not even a small correction! We think that's only fair: to respect originality!

but...

We have enhanced the work by adding a historical introduction by Andrew Hole. Andrew will take you hand in hand and accompany you in the 20's. He will make you understand why that period was extraordinary and for many reasons unrepeatable. A real journey into the heart of the problems that Fitzgerald's American generation had to face.

Here's what you'll find in this volume: The original work The Great Gatsby from 1925 The Birth of Consumerism Women's Emancipation The Discovery of Jazz The Prohibition American Isolationism The Great Depression...all illustrated with original period photos!

Behind every great work are often hidden curiosities and anecdotes. The Great Gatsby is no exception.

I want to tell you a few:

A masterpiece born of failure

Before writing his spiritual legacy to humanity, Fitzgerald worked for about a year and a half on writing a play that he believed would make him Broadway's most popular playwright. The play was titled The Vegetable, or from President to Postman. In September 1923 The Vegetable was staged for the first time in Atlantic City: it was a total fiasco. The show was considered mediocre and poorly written. The author had entered the spiral of alcoholism and was in desperate need of money, so he decided to concentrate on writing the novel.

Hemingway Disgusted

Ernest Hemingway called the cover of The Great Gatsby "the ugliest cover I have ever seen."

The Title is to be Changed

Francis Scott Fitzgerald did not like the title The Great Gatsby. Before its publication he tried many times to change the publisher's mind. His proposals were: Among the Ash-Heaps and Millionaires, Trimalchio in West Egg, Gold-Hatted Gatsby, The High-Bouncing Lover, On the Road to West Egg or, simply, Gatsby. No dice, the publisher wasn't convinced even when Fitzgerald suggested Under the Red, White and Blue... Lucky for us!