Published five years after his stunning 1920 debut, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby established F. Scott Fitzgerald as one of the most important writers of his generation. Its unforgettable characters, poetic prose, and large themes - money, class, and American optimism - have an enduring fascination and make The Great Gatsby a frequent candidate for ''the Great American novel.'' Drawn from the authoritative Library of America edition of Fitzgerald''s collected writings, this deluxe paperback (which features French flaps and deckle-edge paper) presents a new, corrected text of The Great Gatsby by pre-eminent Fitzgerald scholar James L. W. West III. The Library of America text corrects errors, restores Fitzgerald''s preferred American spellings, and incorporates emendations the author made on galley proofs and in his personal copy of the book. Fitzgerald''s masterpiece is joined here by four contemporary stories - the ''Gatsby cluster'' - in which he explored variations on the theme of desperate longing for an unattainable someone or something: ''Winter Dreams,'' ''The Rich Boy,'' ''Absolution,'' and ''Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les.'' Essential reading for fans of the novel, these, too, are presented in newly corrected texts. Rounding out this special edition is a selection of thirteen letters between Fitzgerald and his editor at Scribner''s, Maxwell Perkins, about the composition, editing, and publication of The Great Gatsby, offering a fascinating glimpse into the genesis of an American classic. Other special features include a preface by James L. W. West, a detailed chronology of Fitzgerald''s life and career, and helpful explanatory and textual notes.