First Editon of ‘Great Gatsby’ Expected to Fetch $150K at NYC Auction

With “Great Gatsby” themed parties, events and hotel rooms all the range in New York City, it’s no surprise that a first edition copy of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic may sell for as much as $150,000. Sotheby’s plans to auction a copy of the literary masterpiece, which once belonged to the critic and author Malcolm Cowley, as part of its books and manuscript sale in New York on June 11.

“The book is now almost universally recognized as standing among the great achievements of 20th-century American literature with the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, and more broadly, the American dream, resonating with readers for generations,” the auction house said in a statement.

Although “The Great Gatsby” was popular with the masses upon its publication in 1925, it wasn’t labeled as the great American novel until Fitzgerald’s death in 1940.