1925 Classic Novel Was a Commercial Failure When It First Released-Now It's a Literary Masterpiece
It took readers quite a while to recognize the greatness of The Great Gatsby.
The famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as one of the greatest American novels of all time, but it had a rough start when it was first published.
Upon its release on April 10, 1925, The Great Gatsby was initially a commercial failure, selling fewer than 20,000 copies and underperforming both of Fitzgerald's previous novels The Side of Paradise (1920) and The Beautiful and Damned (1922).
But over 100 years later, The Great Gatsby has not only become Fitzgerald's most famous novel, but also one of the most enduring American novels of all time.
The Great Gatsby was met with mixed reviews in its early days. With its vivid portrayal of the roaring '20s and colorful characters like the elusive Mr. Jay Gatsby and cynical narrator Nick Carraway, the book is known for its commentary on social classes and the idea of the American Dream. Its relevant themes, along with Fitzgerald's illustrative writing style, have solidified the book as a cornerstone of American literature.
But it took years for the novel to reach its true greatness. According to the Library of Congress website, The Great Gatsby got a second wind after it was included in the Armed Services Editions, which were pocket-sized paperback books printed for U.S. Service members to read during World War II. Over 122 million paperbacks were printed for free for U.S. Service members between 1943 and 1947, the site reports.
Now, The Great Gatsby has sold over 30 million copies to date, with an average of 500,000 sales per year. It is also considered a classroom staple for required reading in schools, and has been included on numerous best-of lists of American novels, including No. 15 on PBS' America's 100 Most-Loved Books list, and No. 11 on The Guardian's 100 Best Novels list, among others.
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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 3:46 PM.