Description: This is probably one of the best preserved November 1945 1st Bantam Books edition (& 1st printing) paperback copies of THE GREAT GATSBY currently on the market. Despite the fact that the text is the same as the much earlier Scribner’s hardcover first edition, because it’s in a different format, by a different publisher, it can be described as a first edition “thus”. Matthew Bruccoli states there were 2 reprints of this Bantam edition in 1946, which are apparently indicated as such. Cover art by Edgard Cirlin. This should be seen as purely a collector’s copy, or a piece of Fitzgerald ephemera, and absolutely not a reading copy. Bagged to avoid mishaps. It seems unlikely that this copy was ever read through, because: 1) the covers have minuscule wear; 2) the binding is just about perfectly square; & 3) the spine lacks the pronounced vertical crease that paperbacks generally get after being held open during reading. It must be noted however that a sliver of the bottom corners of the final pages of the book are chipped off, probably from being bumped in that spot - see photos. The approximate size of the little pieces of the page corners that are missing are about 2mm x 3 mm. For practical purposes, since this is essentially a display copy, perhaps a potential buyer could put that barely visible (from the outside) flaw in perspective. The book’s pages are “age-toned” [darkened] as shown - likely common to all copies, but certainly of the 1940’s printings, since the darkening is caused by the composition of the paper, rather than how the book was handled or stored. The aging of the paper also makes it more fragile, and susceptible to tearing etc. In order to preserve the book in its current, relatively exceptional condition, it should be kept in some sort of protective cover and ideally never directly handled. Any attempt to read it would almost certainly damage it in some way. It was necessary to gently ‘fan’ the pages in order to check the condition of them: turning the pages one by one by hand would risk tearing the edges. I’ve inadvertently torn page edges of Bantam paperbacks from this time period merely by trying to leaf through them. No writing or written marks in the book. Please examine photos closely if interested, and feel free to ask a question. An adult recipient at the eBay registered address will need to sign for the book at delivery. Thanks for looking.
Price: 100 USD
Location: Fairplay, Maryland
End Time: 2024-10-17T23:37:30.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.95 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Publisher: Bantam Books
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
