The Beautiful and Damned by FITZGERALD, F. Scott (1896-1940) - 1922

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine-. True First Printing (without publisher's seal on the copyright page or concluding advertisements on pp. 451-452 of later printings) of the author's second novel. Crown 8vo: [10],449,[1]pp. Publisher's dark blue-green linen-like cloth, spine lettered in gilt, the upper cover blind-stamped with title and author's name, fore-edge untrimmed. Wanting the dust jacket. An exceptional copy (save for offsetting to end papers and faintly discernible pencil erasures to front fly leaf), tightly bound and clean throughout. Bruccoli A8.1.a. Originally published in seven installments in Metropolitan magazine, from September 1921 to March 1922. Published in book form on March 4, 1922, in a first printing of 20,600 copies. It went through two more printings that year, for a total of 50,000 copies. After the spectacular success of Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise, he struck out in a new direction, presenting in The Beautiful and Damned a more sparing, focused narrative, relying largely on an omniscient narrator. "Its style moves towards that integration of romantic and modernist elements which will come to such dazzling fruition in his next novel, The Great Gatsby." (Literary Encyclopedia) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).