“BIBLIOPHILE, DRUNKARD AND GOOD EGG”: WONDERFUL AND RARE PRESENTATION COPY OF THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY FITZGERALD IN THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION

FITZGERALD, F. Scott. The Beautiful and Damned. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1922. Octavo, original green cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $88,000.

First edition, first issue, an exceptional presentation copy whimsically inscribed in the year of publication by Fitzgerald, “For Wilbur Judd, Parisien [sic], Critic, Playrite [sic], Bibliophile, Drunkard and Good Egg, From F. Scott Fitzgerald, St. Paul 1922,” in rare 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.

Text fine, only very light edge-wear to original cloth; rare first-issue dust jacket with small ink stain to spine, a bit of shallow chipping, toning to spine and tape repairs to verso. A wonderful extremely good unrestored copy, scarce inscribed.