F. Scott Fitzgerald — The Great Gatsby
 
New Directions, “The New Classics,” No. 9 (1945) With the Alvin Lustig Dust Jacket
 
A scarce 1945 New Directions reissue of The Great Gatsby, issued as No. 9 in the publisher’s New Classics series and featuring the celebrated Alvin Lustig modernist dust jacket design. Published five years after Fitzgerald’s death, this edition is part of the earliest wave of his posthumous rediscovery—an important moment in the novel’s mid‑century revival. (Bruccoli A11.1.g.)
 
Bibliographic Details
New York: New Directions Books, [1945]
8vo, 219 pp
Publisher’s cloth boards
Original $1.00 Lustig‑designed dust jacket
Condition
 
Book: Very good overall. Cloth boards show light corner and spine‑tip bumping, with a small nick to the upper spine cloth. Binding remains tight and sound. Interior clean and unmarked, with expected toning/offsetting to the front and rear endpapers.
 
Dust Jacket: A complete example of the scarce Alvin Lustig jacket, retaining the $1.00 price. Graded fair to good, with spotting and toning, chipping and loss along folds, spine tips, and the upper front panel; a small chip to the upper spine; and several closed tears. Despite wear, the jacket remains in one piece and presents respectably in archival protection.
 
Notes - This 1940s New Classics reprint is uncommon in any condition, and copies retaining the Lustig jacket are particularly sought after. A compelling mid‑century artifact of Gatsby’s critical reawakening—an edition that helped usher Fitzgerald back into the American literary canon.