Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Tender is the Night. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934

8vo. Publisher's green cloth, stamped in gilt; endpapers lightly browned, lightly rubbed, spine a little frayed at ends with one letter of spine title affected. Original illustrated dust-jacket with Mencken and Eliot blurbs; upper panel bright, extremities nicked, spine lightly sunned with creasing and two small chips at head of spine panel, neither touching title, and another in lower corner of rear panel, else a very good example and unrestored. In a quarter-morocco slipcase by the Dragonfly Bindery elaborately stamped in imitation of the covers.

Drapkin copy. Christie's NY June 29, 2005, lot 131

Brucolli A15.1.a.; Connolly 79

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A presentation copy of the first edition to his host at 'La Paix': "F. Scott Fitzgerald / pays homage to Margaret / Turnbull, remembering / many mornings in the / laborious construction / of this book when it / was refreshing to stare / from my smokey study / and see her working / in her garden / May 17^th 1934."

F. Scott Fitzgerald rented a quiet retreat know as 'La Paix' from Margaret Turnbull while working on Tender is the Night. The serene atmosphere gave Fitzgerald a chance to finish up his latest work and provided a peaceful environment for his wife Zelda, who was experiencing bouts of mental illness at the time. Although just a short term landlord, Margaret Turnbull became a close friend of the Fitzgerald family, offering them advice on how to raise their daughter Scottie and widening their social circle via an introduction to T.S. Eliot when he was giving a lecture on Metaphysical poets delivered at Johns Hopkins University in neighboring Baltimore. 

With Rodger’s Forge, Baltimore County, Maryland, envelope affixed to rear endpaper.

“…a wonderful evocation of the second phase of American expatriates… described with flashes of genius by an expert in self-destruction…” (Connolly)

An important association copy, evoking the creation of Fitzgerald's second great novel.