TheGreatGatsby.com

Home › Editions

Since The Great Gatsby entered the US public domain, the number of editions has multiplied: authorized paperbacks, scholarly texts, illustrated hardcovers, budget reprints, audiobooks and simplified readers. This guide explains what to look for so you can choose the copy that suits you. You can also read the complete novel free here, chapter by chapter.

The First Edition

The novel was first published in April 1925 by Charles Scribner’s Sons in New York, where Fitzgerald’s editor was the celebrated Maxwell Perkins. Its dust jacket, a painting by the artist Francis Cugat known as “Celestial Eyes,” showing a woman’s eyes and lips floating in a dark blue night sky above blazing carnival lights, is one of the most famous book covers ever made. First editions in that original jacket are highly prized by collectors.

Fitzgerald considered several titles before publication, including Trimalchio in West Egg, a nod to a vulgar party-giving host in the ancient Roman satire the Satyricon. Echoes survive in the novel itself: in Chapter 7 Nick says that Gatsby’s “career as Trimalchio was over.”

Types of Edition

Authorized Scribner Editions

Scribner, the original publisher, still issues the novel in paperback and hardcover. Its widely used trade paperback, often sold as “the only authorized edition,” is the copy many schools assign, which makes it handy if you need to match page numbers with a class.

Scholarly Editions

Scholars have spent decades comparing Fitzgerald’s manuscripts, proofs and corrections. Critical editions, such as the 1991 volume edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli for the Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, aim to give the text as close as possible to what the author intended, with notes on changes and errors. These are the editions to choose for serious study.

Public Domain Reprints

Since 2021 any US publisher may print the 1925 text, so you will find dozens of new paperbacks and hardcovers, some branded as “original 1925 editions.” Quality varies a great deal. Check the reviews for typos and formatting problems, and remember that a reprint of the 1925 text is not the same thing as a collectible first edition.

Collector and Gift Editions

Decorated cloth or faux-leather hardcovers, deluxe editions with gilt edges and multi-book sets of Fitzgerald’s works make attractive gifts and shelf pieces. Look at the photos closely and check the listed contents of any set.

Illustrated and Annotated Editions

Illustrated editions add artwork that brings the Jazz Age to life, while annotated editions explain period references, slang and allusions, which is useful for students and new readers. Our glossary covers many of the same terms for free.

Audiobooks

Unabridged audiobooks let you hear Fitzgerald’s rhythmic prose. Several well-known actors have recorded the novel, so try a sample before you buy to find a narrator you like.

Ebooks

Free public-domain ebooks are widely available, and you can also read online right here. Paid ebook editions sometimes add introductions, notes or better formatting.

Graded Readers for English Learners

Publishers of graded readers, including Macmillan Readers, have produced simplified versions of The Great Gatsby with controlled vocabulary. Macmillan’s version is graded at Intermediate level. They are a good bridge for learners, who can then move on to the full text.

Translations

The novel has been translated into many languages. When choosing a translation, check the translator’s name and look for recent editions with notes.

Our Quick Recommendations

A Note on the Text on This Site

The chapters on TheGreatGatsby.com reproduce the text of the first edition, published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in New York in 1925, with its original American spelling and punctuation. Small differences in spelling and punctuation exist between editions, so if you are quoting in an essay, use the page numbers and wording of the edition your class requires.

Want to know more about the author’s other books? See our F. Scott Fitzgerald biography.