Like so many people I know, I've discovered more than half the authors I now love by reading them for free in the library. Free reads work. History has some examples of just how well...
The Great Gatsby was not popular when it was published despite positive reviews and in its first fifteen years sold less than 25,000 copies. It had been largely forgotten when and Fitzgerald died. His obit mentioned the novel as evidence of his unrealized potential and brought some fresh attention to the title.
But then,during World War II, the Armed Services Editions - which was amazing by the way and something we should bring back, gave away a few copies of the novel to American military.
150,000 copies to be exact. And that was that.
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further... And one fine morning -
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
The Armed Services Editions should DEFINITELY be brought back! Someone should launch a campaign to try to get the gov't to bring it back.
The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books. It's amazing that it was overlooked when it was first released.
Posted by: The Well-Read Wife | August 04, 2010 at 02:57 AM
I've read that when Fitzgerald died, there were copies of the second printing still in Scribners' warehouse. It's one of those books that a core group of people at the time knew was excellent (Eliot, Hemingway, etc.), but it just took decades to catch on.
Though there are still those like Gore Vidal who like to claim it's garbage. But the rest of us know better. :)
Did they only do Armed Services Editions during the Second World War? When/why did they stop?
Posted by: Honesterrors | August 04, 2010 at 09:13 AM