Fitzgerald, F. Scott.

8vo (188 x 133mm.), first edition, first printing, vignettes by Edward Shenton, publisher's green cloth with vertical lines, spine gilt-lettered, original pictorial dust-jacket with a scene of the Riviera on the front, blurbs by T.S. Eliot and H.L. Mencken on front flap, full morocco gilt slipcase, buckram chemise, dedication leaf and half-title opened a bit roughly, one small scratch on upper cover and one on lower cover, spine of dust-jacket very slightly faded, minimal wear to head of spine

Bruccoli A14.I.a; Connolly, The Modern Movement 79

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A fine copy of Fitzgerald's other masterpiece, in a fine dust-jacket. The first three printings of Tender Is the Night comprised only some 15,000 copies (the fourth printing was not until 1951) and royalties from the novel failed to pay off Fitzgerald's debt to Scribner's.

"The beginning [of Tender Is the Night]... is a wonderful evocation of the second phase of American expatriates ensconced in glittering villas on the Riviera in contrast to the home-spun tipplers of The Sun Also Rises. The break-down of a marriage in which the doctor-husband [Dick Diver], having fulfilled his healing role, makes it inevitable that his wife [Nicole] should leave him, is described with flashes of genius by an expert in self-destruction, and there is a haunting account of Fitzgerald's own pet drunk, the story-teller Ring Lardner (Abe North) and of the predicament of 'grace under pressure' from too many parties and too much money" (Connolly).