Trimalchio [The Great Gatsby]

Description

Limited edition of Trimalchio, a facsimile of the original Galley Proofs of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This piece was published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2000.

Thin folio, [77 unnumbered leaves]: 7 introductory, 57 body of text, 11 afterword by Bruccoli, 2 notes. Laid paper sheets measure 24″ x 6″. Fine condition. Publisher’s paperwork and original invoice laid-in. One of 500 limited edition copies, this one numbered 52 on limitation sheet. All sheets housed in a blue case, with title printed in black on paper label affixed to top cover. Includes the publisher’s original cardboard shipping container. Full piece measures 28″ x 8″ x 2″. “Great Gatsby Special Edition / $75.00” handwritten on box, with original shipping label intact.

Trimalchio was one of numerous titles Fitzgerald debated naming this classic American novel. The name references the early Roman character who lived an ostentatious life funded by his newly earned money. Fitzgerald’s editor, Max Perkins, recommended a simpler title than Trimalchio, claiming it would be too obscure and too difficult to pronounce for general audiences. Other potential titles included: Among Ash Heaps and Millionaires, Trimalchio in West Egg, On the Road to West Egg, Under the Red White and Blue, The Gold Hatted Gatsby, and The High-Bouncing Lover. Ultimately, The Great Gatsby was published on April 10, 1925.