Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, First Edition, 1922

About the Item

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Beautiful and the Damned. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922. First edition, first state. Rebound in ¼ leather and cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt titles, and tooling to the spine. Gilded edges. New archival cloth slipcase. Presented is a first edition, first state of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and the Damned. The book was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in New York in 1922. It is presented here, rebound, in gorgeous blue ¼ leather and cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine, and a new archival slipcase. The Beautiful and the Damned was Fitzgerald’s second novel, following his debut This Side of Paradise. The book is an exploration of the nouveau riche, New York City nightlife in the 1920s, and the inner dynamics of two young and reckless newlyweds. Semi-autobigraphical, Fitzgerald modeled the characters of Anthony Patch and Gloria Gilbert on himself and his new spouse Zelda Fitzgerald and the story draws circumstantially upon the early years of Fitzgeralds' tempestuous marriage. Fitzgerald started writing The Beautiful and the Damned in August of 1920, while in Westport Connecticut. Having reflected upon the criticisms of his debut novel This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald sought to improve upon the form and construction of his prose in this second book. He relied heavily on editorial suggestions from his friend Edmund Wilson and his editor Max Perkins. Remarking upon Fitzgerald's improved craftsmanship, literary critic H. L. Mencken wrote in his The Smart Set review: "There are a hundred signs in it of serious purpose and unquestionable skill. Even in its defects there is proof of hard striving. Fitzgerald ceases to be a wunderkind, and begins to come into his maturity." Metropolitan Magazine serialized the manuscript in late 1921, and Charles Scribner's Sons published the book in March 1922. Scribner's prepared an initial print run of 20,000 copies. The book was received with mixed critical reviews, yet it sold to the public well enough to warrant additional print runs of 50,000 copies. “There is a profounder truth in The Beautiful and Damned than the author perhaps intended to convey: the hero and heroine are strange creatures without purpose or method, who give themselves up to wild debaucheries and do not, from beginning to end perform a single serious act; but you somehow get the impression that, in spite of their madness, they are the most rational people in the book.... The inference is that, in such a civilization, the sanest and most creditable thing is to forget organized society and live for the jazz of the moment” (Edmund Wilson, Literary Spotlight, 1924). CONDITION: Rebound in blue ¼ leather and cloth boards with raised bands, gilt titles, and tooling to the spine, gilded edges, new endpaper. Conservation to the half title page. Interior pages are healthy with only light toning, no marks or staining. First Edition, first state. "Printed by the Scribner Press, New York, U.S.A." on the copyright page. Presented with a matching archival slipcase with a portrait of Fitzgerald inlaid on the front. Dimensions: Book 7 3/4" H x 5 3/4" W x 1 1/2" D. Slipcase: 8 1/4"H x 5 7/8" W x 2 1/8" D.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8.25 in (20.96 cm)Width: 5.88 in (14.94 cm)Depth: 2.13 in (5.42 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1922
  • Condition:
    Additions or alterations made to the original: Rebound in archival 1/4 blue leather and cloth boards, raised bands, gilt titles and tooling to spine, gilded edges, new endpaper. Restoration to half title page. New archival slipcase to match. By Felton Bookbinding, Ltd. in Ontario, in August 2023. Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Colorado Springs, CO
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BK09901stDibs: LU909735965732
More From This SellerView All
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, First Edition, First Issue, 1925
    Located in Colorado Springs, CO
    Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925. First edition, first printing. Rebound in full blue morocco leather with gilt tooling, raised bands a...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Books

    Materials

    Leather, Paper

  • The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, First Edition, 1943
    By Ayn Rand
    Located in Colorado Springs, CO
    Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1943. First edition printing. Octavo. Rebound in modern half red Moroccan leather an...
    Category

    Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Books

    Materials

    Leather, Paper

  • The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, First US Edition in DJ
    Located in Colorado Springs, CO
    Lewis, C. S. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1950. First U.S. edition. Octavo. In the original publisher's blue cloth boards and illustrated d...
    Category

    Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books

    Materials

    Paper

  • Octopussy and the Living Daylights by Ian Fleming, First Edition, 1966
    By Ian Fleming
    Located in Colorado Springs, CO
    Fleming, Ian. Octopussy and The Living Daylights. London: Jonathan Cape, 1966. First edition, first impression. Octavo. Presented in the publisher's original dust jacket and dark bro...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s American Books

    Materials

    Paper

  • The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, First Edition, 1938
    Located in Colorado Springs, CO
    Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling. Illustrated by Edward Shenton. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1938. First edition. 8to. Rebound in full green leather with gilt tooling, ...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s American Books

    Materials

    Leather, Paper

  • Octopussy and The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming, First UK Edition, 1966
    Located in Colorado Springs, CO
    Fleming, Ian. Octopussy and The Living Daylights. London: Jonathan Cape, 1966. First UK edition. Octavo. Rebound in full leather with gilt facsimi...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s English Books

    Materials

    Paper

You May Also Like
  • Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald - FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING
    Located in Middletown, NY
    New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934 8vo, 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (190 x 132 mm); pp. vii + 408, printed in Old Style type on wove paper; pen and ink drawings (33 head-pieces and 35 ...
    Category

    Early 20th Century American Books

    Materials

    Paper

  • This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    Located in Middletown, NY
    FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING of Fitzgerald's DEBUT NOVEL New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920. 8vo, 7 1/2 x 5 1/8 inches (190 x 130 mm); pp. vi, 305; printed in 11 pt Old Style...
    Category

    Early 20th Century English Books

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • The Surgeon and the Photographer by Geoffrey Farmer, First Edition
    Located in valatie, NY
    The Surgeon and the Photographer by Geoffrey Farmer. Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, 2015. First Edition hardcover, no dust jacket as issued. Publish...
    Category

    2010s Canadian Books

    Materials

    Paper

  • The Rhinegold and The Valkyrie Illustrated by A Rackham First Edition
    By Wagner
    Located in Dallas, TX
    Presenting a fabulous first edition book, namely, The Rhinegold and The Valkyrie Illustrated by A Rackham First Edition. The Rhinegol...
    Category

    Early 20th Century American Bohemian Books

    Materials

    Paper

  • Massachusetts Beautiful by Wallace Nutting, Signed First Edition Thus
    By Wallace Nutting
    Located in valatie, NY
    Massachusetts Beautiful by Wallace Nutting. Old America, Garden City Publishing Company, Inc. 1935. First Edition Thus Signed hardcover no dust jacket. Part of His "States Beautiful" series. With many black and white photographs and illustrations of localities throughout the state of Massachusetts...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s American Books

    Materials

    Paper

  • The Hudson by Carl Carmer, First Edition
    Located in valatie, NY
    The Hudson by Carl Carmer. Farrar & Rinehart, New York:, 1939. First edition hardcover with dust jacket with Brodart cover. Best of the Rivers of America series. The Hudson is less a...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s American Books

    Materials

    Paper

Recently Viewed

View All