This side of paradise

This fine critical edition by West (Pennsylvania State Univ.), an acknowledged Fitzgerald expert and author of The Making of This Side of Paradise (CH, Sep'83), maintains the high standards of "The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald" series. The first edition of Fitzgerald's first novel (1920) was notorious for being riddled with errors of fact, grammar, and spelling. West meticulously identifies these and makes a series of careful decisions (the rationale of which is explained to the reader) as to which should be corrected and which allowed to stand in order to preserve the rhythms of Fitzgerald's flawed but intriguing work. The scholarly apparatus is accessible and exhaustive. The editor provides a comprehensive chronology and introduction detailing the stages of composition from manuscript through the published book, records of variants and alterations in later editions, numerous explanatory notes regarding contemporary references in the novel, and useful illustrations, including facsimiles of sample manuscript pages. This edition will prove quite useful to both advanced scholars and undergraduates. A valuable addition to Fitzgerald scholarship and a desirable acquisition for all academic libraries. B. H. Leeds Central Connecticut State University

Fitzgerald's first novel, about a coterie of Princeton socialites, appears in a 75th anniversary edition. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Fitzgerald is having a big year (see News, LJ, November 1, p. 16). Not only were three scholarly titles published to celebrate his recent centenary (LJ 9/1/96), but this, his first novel, has now entered into public domain. Publishers are quick to take advantage of the opportunity, and two other editions of This Side have already appeared (Classic Returns, LJ 4/15/96). Though the most no-frills of the bunch, this version is also by far the cheapest. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.