The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is often called the great American novel. Emblematic of an entire era, F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale of illicit desire, grand illusions, and lost dreams is rendered in a lyrical prose that revives a vanished world of glittering parties and vibrant jazz, where money and deceit walk hand in hand. Rich in humor, sharply observant of status and class, the book tells the story of Jay Gatsby's efforts to keep his faith – in money, in love, in all the promises of America – amid the chaos and conflict of life on Long Island's Gold Coast during the Roaring Twenties. This centennial edition presents the established version of the text in a collector's volume replete with social, cultural, and historical context, and numerous illustrations. The authoritative introduction examines persistent myths about Fitzgerald, his greatest work, and the age he embodies, while offering fresh ways of reading this iconic work.

'This fascinating and comprehensive new edition of The Great Gatsby, which includes detailed analysis in its riveting notes and introduction, will delight fans and newcomers alike.' Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools
'With a thoughtful introduction and a striking lineup of illustrations and behind-the-scenes information, this new Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby from Cambridge does what all new editions should be doing – taking a fresh and ambitious look at this classic for a new generation of readers.' Michael Farris Smith, author of Nick
'One of the most exquisitely written books in modern literature has finally been given the edition it deserves.' Elizabeth Day, author and broadcaster
'F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a jewel-box of a novel, and Cambridge's Centennial Edition invites us to an intimate understanding of how such a wonder came about. At first glance, with its lyrical prose and deft character work, Gatsby looks effortless, but the Centennial Edition shows us it is anything but. We're offered a look backstage, where it is revealed that only iron-clad structure and ruthless attention to detail could give us the words that seem to float so lightly. This is the book I wish I had when I was writing The Chosen and the Beautiful.' Nghi Vo, Hugo Award-winning author of The Chosen and the Beautiful and The Singing Hills Cycle
'The Great Gatsby is not only one of the most admired and beloved novels ever written: it is also one of the most studied, in both schools and universities. Teachers, students and indeed all lovers of the novel, have long needed a readily accessible edition that presents and explains its evolution and context. That is what the Cambridge Centennial Gatsby superbly provides. Scott Fitzgerald was an inveterate reviser of his work, and a highlight of the edition is its attention to the striking changes he made as his masterpiece went through the press.' Sir Jonathan Bate, author of Bright Star, Green Light: The Beautiful Works and Damned Lives of John Keats and F. Scott Fitzgerald
'A beautifully-presented edition of one of the great novels. It was important for the centennial edition to do justice to a book that defined its era and remains profoundly relevant today: this stunning edition does exactly that, supporting the text with a superb introduction by Sarah Curchwell and a host of other rich and engaging resources.' Alex Preston, author of Winchelsea
'I have always loved and admired The Great Gatsby, but this Cambridge edition gives us something quite unique and universal, offering more than a path into a literary masterpiece. This book is an extraordinary resource and a companion for life. A striking achievement.' Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees and Booker Finalist for 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World

Real author – deceased James L. W. West III is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, Emeritus, at Pennsylvania State University. He is a biographer, book historian, and scholarly editor. From 1994 to 2019, he was General Editor of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, recently completed in eighteen volumes (sixteen under his editorship). Professor West's variorum edition of The Great Gatsby was the final volume in the series. Sarah Churchwell is Professor in American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. She is the author of Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby (2013), The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells (2022), Behold, America: A History of America First and the American Dream (2018), and The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe (2004).

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