???As Baz Luhrman?s film rendition of F. Scott Fitzgerald?s great American novel renews interest in ?The Great Gatsby,? the university is showcasing some of its most remarkable Gatsby memorabilia. An exhibit of the original dust jacket and cover art for the first edition of the novel is running at Firestone Library from through June 1. On May 2, the library received a special gift ? a copy of novel that displays the mysterious epigraph ?Then wear the gold hat? in Fitzgerald?s handwriting.
???According to Steve Ferguson, assistant librarian of rare books at the university, the poem appears at the beginning of the novel signed by Thomas Park D?Invilliers, a fictional character who first appeared in Fitzgerald?s ?This Side of Paradise.? Fitzgerald supposedly never revealed that he was the author of the poem, but this book provides ?unmistakable documentary evidence? that he in fact was the writer, Mr. Ferguson said.
???The gift was donated to Firestone by Lawrence Stewart, a professor who purchased the copy in a California bookstore and first published his findings in 1957. However, Mr. Stewart did not include visual proof, so this is the first time that people will be able to see the evidence directly, Mr. Ferguson said.
???He added that this gift is significant because the poem has become an important part of American literary culture.
???Fitzgerald himself has become a timeless novelist because people are captivated by his ability to relate experiences of the modern era, Mr. Ferguson said.????Asking ?who is Jay Gatsby?? is like asking ?who is an American??? he said. ?It?s such an open-ended question, and people are attracted to this story because it makes you curious ? it?s not all tied up in a neat little bundle.?
???The release of the latest movie version of ?The Great Gatsby? certainly spiked public curiosity. In a review of the film published in Town Topics, Stuart Mitchner said he had learned that the university owned the original cover painting for the first edition of the novel, and called upon the library to display the artwork.
???In response, the art department at Firestone was able to quickly put together an exhibit featuring the original full-sized painting by Francis Cugat as well as the first- edition dust jacket displaying a scaled-down illustration, said Don Skemer, curator of manuscripts.
???While the book with Fitzgerald?s handwritten epigraph will be kept in the rare books division of Firestone, the exhibit of cover art will be free and open to the public between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and between noon and 5 p.m. on weekends. The exhibit is located in a gallery adjacent to the main lobby.
???Julie Mellby, curator of graphic art, said dust covers are easily damaged, which is why Princeton is ?very lucky? to have a paper cover in good condition.
????People often describe it as the most important American dust jacket of the 20th century,? Mr. Skemer said.
???The cover art is particularly significant because Fitzgerald was captivated by the striking eyes in Cugat?s painting, and told his publisher to reserve the jacket for his novel. He even wrote the detail into ?The Great Gatsby? by creating the billboard for eye doctor T. J. Eckleburg.
???The painting has no title, since it was finished before Fitzgerald?s novel was complete, Ms. Mellby said. In fact, the title had to be kept short because Cugat did not leave very much space, she added.
???Although the university has a large archive of artifacts relating to Fitzgerald and his work, Ms. Mellby said her department wanted to focus the exhibit on the cover art.
????This is one of the highpoints of Princeton?s collection, and we really do welcome and encourage people to come over and see this colorful, exciting art,? she said.
???Still, the university?s affiliation with Fitzgerald runs even deeper than these two projects, Mr. Skemer said. Fitzgerald?s papers are all archived at the library, and Princeton even appears in the rolling credits for ?The Great Gatsby? movie.
???Mr. Skemer added that he has plans for a more extensive project on Fitzgerald that he will be announcing next week, prior to commencement.
????Coincidentally, Fitzgerald arrived to Princeton as a freshman in 1913 ? 100 years ago,? he said.
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