New York—A copy of The Great Gatsby inscribed by its
author F. Scott Fitzgerald leads Bonhams' Voices of the 20th Century auction on
June 16 in New York. The book is a 1925 first edition given by Fitzgerald to
fellow author Harold Goldman—the inspiration for the novel’s leading character,
Jay Gatsby. It is estimated at $80,000-100,000.
Fitzgerald has written in his own hand:
“For Harold Goldman/ The original ‘Gatsby’ of this
story, with thanks for letting me reveal these secrets of his past/ Alcatraz/
Cell Block 17/ (I’ll be out soon, kid. Remember me to the mob. Fitzgerald)”
The inscribed book was given to Goldman by the
author presumably during their shared stint at MGM as screenwriters. The two
men worked together in the 1930s on the 1938 film A Yank at Oxford starring
Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh. According to family history, the two knew each
other well but aside from this inscribed book, Goldman and Fitzgerald’s
friendship is mostly undocumented. As is clear from his inscription, Fitzgerald
disliked his time in Hollywood. “Cell Block 17” would be a reference to his
office in the writers’ building and “Alcatraz” to the MGM lot.
Jay Gatsby embodied the American dream with his rags-to-riches
success story. The present volume with Fitzgerald’s note and signature is the
most desirable Bonhams has ever seen at auction.
Director of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams,
Christina Geiger, commented, “It is very exciting to be offering this copy of
The Great Gatsby, which has been consigned to Bonhams by the family of the
original recipient. One of the special characteristics of the Voices of the
20th Century auction is the large number of items that are consigned directly
by the original owners or their families.”
