Before Gatsby: The First Twenty-Six Stories

Fitzgerald's continued popularity remains nothing short of remarkable, although much of his literary reputation rests on Gatsby's impeccably tailored shoulders. But Fitzgerald made his money on short stories, and this volume collects his initial 26 pieces, most of which first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Laying the stories end to end, one can see the progression Fitzgerald made as a writer leading up to the construction of his first masterpiece. The stories also include the original illustrations (56 in all) as well as reproductions of manuscript pages, ads, magazine covers, and tables of contents, plus explanatory notes and other goodies provided by editor Bruccoli, the world's foremost authority on Fitzgerald. Though these stories are available in separate collections, having them spliced together makes this a worthy purchase for all libraries.
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