The Price Was High: Fifty Uncollected Stories [Hardcover]

F. Scott Fitzgerald (Author), Matthew Joseph Bruccoli (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 784 pages
• Publisher: Fine Communications; First Edition edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567311067
• ISBN-13: 978-1567311068
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,379,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the major American writers of the twentieth century -- a figure whose life and works embodied powerful myths about our national dreams and aspirations. Fitzgerald was talented and perceptive, gifted with a lyrical style and a pitch-perfect ear for language. He lived his life as a romantic, equally capable of great dedication to his craft and reckless squandering of his artistic capital. He left us one sure masterpiece, The Great Gatsby; a near-masterpiece, Tender Is the Night; and a gathering of stories and essays that together capture the essence of the American experience. His writings are insightful and stylistically brilliant; today he is admired both as a social chronicler and a remarkably gifted artist.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming!, July 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Price Was High: Fifty Uncollected Stories (Hardcover)

Of course, any of Fitzgerald's work edited by Mr. Bruccoli must be wonderful. These short stories, which appeared in various magazines from the 20s through the 40s are simply charming. Fitzgerald's elegant style of writing and sensuous story-telling techinque captivate the reader from the very first lines. Particularly appealing is Fitzgerld's use of humor - sometimes dry; sometimes understated - and well illustrated in the story, "The Pusher in the Face." Typical of early Fitzgerald, some of these stories end with an ironic twist of fate, such as the story, "Two for a Penny." Fitzgerald's themes are timeless and relevant to people living at the end of this century. These stories could have been written yesterday. If it is cold where you are, read these stories with a cup of hot cocoa by the fire; if warm, read them on your porch in the early evening with a pitcher of ice tea or lemonade.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tremendous value and learning opportunity..., July 12, 1998

By 

Alan Weisman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Price Was High: Fifty Uncollected Stories (Hardcover)

Many American writers learn much about their craft by studying Fitzgerald. As Dorothy Parker said: Fitzgerald could write a bad story, but he couldn't write badly. Many of these stories, although unsuccessful by Fitzgerald's standards, are nonetheless instructive in their weakness: the strong parts stand out so clearly that they afford insights into what makes a given story truly work, and what makes one fall short. And: weak or not, there's beautiful writing in all of them. This collection is a treasure for Fitzgerald fans, and an important addition to a fiction writer's or writing student's bookshelf.