Description
“IN MEMORY OF A THOUSAND COURTESIES AND A THOUSAND KINDNESSES. YOU WERE THE FIRST PURCHASER OF MY OTHER BOOK?”: FIRST ISSUE OF FITZGERALD’S THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED IN RARE DUST JACKET, AN EXTRAORDINARY PRESENTATION ASSOCIATION COPY WITH A WARM, LENGTHY PRE-PUBLICATION PRESENTATION INSCRIPTION BY FITZGERALD IN HIS HOMETOWN TO HIS BEST MAN AND GREAT FRIEND, THE PROTOTYPE FOR HIS STORY “THE RICH BOY”
FITZGERALD, F. Scott. The Beautiful and Damned. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1922. Octavo, original green cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in custom full brown morocco clamshell box.
First edition, first issue, presentation association copy warmly inscribed and dated by Fitzgerald almost a month before publication, in his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota: “For Ludlow—in memory of a thousand courtesies and a thousand kindnesses. You were the first purchaser of my other book—I feel that you should get this one for nothing—except an awful lot. F. Scott Fitzgerald. St. Paul, Minn. Feb. 6th 1922. Lest I forget: the Fowler-Fitzgerald law-suit herein—for any errors in which you are entirely responsible!” In very scarce first-issue dust jacket.
“The Beautiful and Damned brought Fitzgerald accolades from those whose opinions he valued. Mencken congratulated him for staking out new ground? Fitzgerald was aiming high; he only wanted to be the best novelist of his generation” (Turnbull, 130-31). Fitzgerald wrote to Zelda in 1930, “I wish The Beautiful and Damned had been a maturely written book because it was all true. We ruined ourselves? I have never honestly thought that we ruined each other” (Bruccoli, 180). First issue, with “Published March, 1922” on copyright page; in first-issue dust jacket with letters on front panel in white, outlined in black. Bruccoli A8.1.a. This extraordinary inscribed presentation association copy was given by Fitzgerald to his close friend Ludlow Fowler, Fitzgerald’s best man—and only guest—at his wedding to Zelda. Fitzgerald based a short story on Fowler, telling him: “I have written a fifteen thousand-word story about you called The Rich Boy? it is in large measure the story of your life? it is one of the best things I have ever done” (Bruccoli 1991, 269). In addition, the short story “The Bridal Party” is based on Ludlow’s brother Powell’s wedding. The inscription makes reference to Fitzgerald’s first novel, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920, and the “Fowler-Fitzgerald law-suit” is likely a personal joke regarding the lawsuit contained in The Beautiful and Damned. The inscription is dated February 6, almost a month before the March 4 publication date, and a matter of days after the printers had completed the first printing.
Front inner-paper hinge expertly reinforced, with light wear to spine ends. Tape repair and very minor restoration to verso of bright first-issue dust jacket. Very good condition. An extraordinary copy with a magnificent association and lengthy presentation inscription by Fitzgerald.
