Product Description

Though most widely known for the novella The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gained a major source of income as a professional writer from the sale of short stories. Over the course of his career, Fitzgerald published more than 160 stories in the period's most popular magazines. His second short fiction collection, Tales of the Jazz Age (1922), includes two masterpieces as well as several other stories from his earlier career. One, "May Day," depicts a party at a popular club in New York that becomes a night of revelry during which former soldiers and an affluent group of young people start an anti-Bolshevik demonstration that results in an attack on a leftist newspaper office. "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" is a fantastic satire of the selfishness endemic to the wealthy and their undying pursuit to preserve that way of life.

All of these stories, like his best novels, meld Fitzgerald's fascination with wealth with an awareness of a larger world, creating a subtle social critique. With his discerning eye, Fitzgerald elucidates the interactions of the young people of post-World War I America who, cut off from traditions, sought their place in the modern world amid the general hysteria of the period that inaugurated the age of jazz.

This new edition reproduces in full the original collection, stories that represent a clear movement in theme and character development toward what would become The Great Gatsby. In introducing each story, Fitzgerald offers accounts of its textual history, revealing decisions about which stories to include.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #345326 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 328 pages

From Library Journal
Fitzgerald's 1922 collection isn't his strongest work, but it does contain gems like "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz." This edition also sports several additional stories not included in the original, such as "Diamond Dick, "The Third Casket," and "The Unspeakable Egg," plus a scholarly introduction and other goodies by editor West. Nice if you can afford it.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Amusing, interesting and well done. . . . Each piece is polished."--New York Times

Download Description
The taller of the two was named Carrol Key, a name hinting that in his veins, however thinly diluted by generations of degeneration, ran blood of some potentiality. But one could stare endlessly at the long, chinless face, the dull, watery eyes, and high cheek-bones, without finding suggestion of either ancestral worth or native resourcefulness.

Customer Reviews

One star not for the content, but for the edition.
I recently got this book simply because it contains "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which I've been dying to read. My mistake was buying this book without checking out any of the publisher/editor information beforehand. Six pages into the story, I began to realize that this edition is filled with ridiculous typos and silly mistakes (such as quotation marks in places they shouldn't be), and I find it hard to believe that this is how Fitzgerald wrote the story. There is absolutely no publisher or editor information given in the book itself. I haven't bothered to look at any of the other stories, but I can't imagine they're any better. Save yourself the trouble and buy another edition; I wish I had.

Satirizing the selfishness of the wealthy
Tales Of The Jazz Age is an anthology of classic short stories by the renowned 20th Century American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who is best known for his enduring classic "The Great Gatsby". Satirizing the selfishness of the wealthy, depicting revelry that escalates into a destructive mob, while offering a sharp look at the flaws of society, and enhanced with introductions to each story by the author, Tales Of The Jazz Age is highly recommended, and this Pine Street Books edition would make a perfect choice for school and community libraries needing to replace worn copies of previous editions.

"Must" reading for F. Scott Fitzgerald enthusiasts
Tales of the Jazz Age is an anthology of nineteen short stories by renowned author F. Scott Fitzgerald, including "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz", "Dice, Brassknuckles and Guitar", and "Love in the Night". Enhanced with an extensive record of variants, explanatory notes, as well as an extensive introduction concerning the selection and editorial principles of the anthology, Tales of the Jazz Age is a superb edition of classic literature that would grace any academic or library collection -- and is "must" reading for F. Scott Fitzgerald enthusiasts and fans.