For fans of The Great Gatsby, or F. Scott Fitzgerald, next week holds an event to remember. On Tuesday, June 11th, a rare first edition of The Great Gatsby will be up for auction in the book and manuscript sale at Sotheby’s, New York.
According to Yahoo! News, the book belonged to Malcolm Cowley, an American author and literary critic, and it could go for up to $150,000. The cover was designed in 1925 by Francis Cugat, a famous book jacket artist and set designer.
This sale comes just weeks after the release of the major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Forbes reports that the value of the book lies in both the dustcover and Cowley’s transcription of Fitzgerald’s original notes in the margins. Along with the book, Sotheby’s will auction off letters and poems of Fitzgerald’s, which are estimated to sell for another $20,000 to $30,000. Were Fitzgerald capable of knowing the value of his works, he would be shocked, as he died believing he was a failure and that his literature would be forgotten. When the book was released in 1925, few copies sold and reviews were far from favorable.
Over the years, The Great Gatsby has become a literary classic and one of the most well read novels of our time. It is also one of the many that have been referred to as the “Great American Novel,” referring to a literary work that captures the essence of what defines American writing in any given era. That being said, the sale is sure to attract bidders from around the world, hoping for a chance to own this rare and valuable edition.
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