Great Gatsby : The Complete 1925 Text

Long regarded as one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century, The Great Gatsby expresses many of the central themes of the American myth: romance, love, the quest for wealth and status, loneliness, and corruption.

The novel follows Jay Gatsby, a mysterious self-made man, in his desperate quest for the love of the beguiling Daisy Buchanan―and for a place in the highest ranks of society. Gatsby’s fate reflects the emptiness and disappointment that come from his search.

First published in 1925, Gatsby is regarded as the epitome of the spirit of the Roaring Twenties: the fast life, new wealth, and a glamour and a frivolity that prove to be hollow. Fitzgerald’s genius portrays this world with humor, insight, and the profound sympathy that is the hallmark of all great fiction.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) was one of the most admired writers of the twentieth century. His works include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, and Tender Is the Night. The Great Gatsby is by far his best-known and most beloved novel.

Richard Smoley, author of the foreword and afterword, is the distinguished author of twelve books, mostly recently The Truth about Magic, also published by G&D. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, he published First Flowering: The Best of the Harvard Advocate, 1866–1976, while still an undergraduate.

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short-story writer. He was best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age―a term which he popularized. During his lifetime, he published four novels, four collections of short stories, and 164 short stories. Although he temporarily achieved popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald only received wide critical and popular acclaim after his death. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.

Richard Smoley, author of the introduction and afterword, is the distinguished author of twelve books, mostly recently The Truth about Magic, also published by G&D. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, he published First Flowering: The Best of the Harvard Advocate, 1866–1976, while still an undergraduate.