Tag Archives: F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Trimalchio in West Egg.”

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It seems a bit incredible that F. Scott Fitzgerald originally titled the great American novel “Trimalchio in West Egg.”But in the end he called it “The Great Gatsby” and it remains one of the 20th century’s most read and beloved … Continue reading →

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“The first lights of the evening were springing into pale existence.”

Posted on March 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“Description of things and atmosphere” from the notebooks of F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The island floated, a boat becalmed, upon the almost perceptible curve of the world.” “The first lights of the evening were springing into pale existence. The Ferris wheel, pricked … Continue reading →

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Reasonable Expectations

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Happy Public Domain Day Eve

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Way back in 1998 Congress passed the Copyright Term Extension Act extending US copyrights by 20 years to life-plus-70 for human authors and 95 years total for corporate authors. The extension was retrospective, so works in the public domain went … Continue reading →

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Not in the Nick of time

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I recently read that there is a prequel to The Great Gatsby scheduled for publication in January 2021 when the copyright expires on F.Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel. On January 1, 2021, the iconic book enters the public domain in … Continue reading →

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This Side of Paradise

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

  Scribner has just issued a set of new,elegant editions of F.Scott Fitzgerald novels. The series of five “collectible” hardcover editions feature new dust jacket designs. The titles include The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, The Beautiful and Damned, The Last … Continue reading →

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Memorable Opening Lines

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925) I lost an arm on my last trip home. — Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979) Once … Continue reading →

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Literary Road Trips

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

For the last century, American road trips have inspired authors to write great novels and memoirs based on their travels by car, bus, or motorcycle. From F. Scott Fitzgerald to Jack Kerouac the open road has launched a special form … Continue reading →

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What’s In A Title

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Many thanks to Lucy from Jonkers Rare Books in lovely Henley-on-Thames for this wonderful infographic. If you can’t get to the UK, you can still visit the terrific bookshop via their website.

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Hemingway the Hoarder

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Ernest Hemingway was one of the 20th century’s greatest writers, but he was also a big time hoarder. A new exhibition, “Ernest Hemingway: Between Two Wars”, at New York City’s grand Morgan Library and Museum is packed with examples of … Continue reading →

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