Over at the NEW YORK TIMES Style Section they recently posted an extremely interesting “interactive” article showcasing some of the various book covers created over the years for THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Of course the main one is the rare First Edition, in blue, with the stylistic set of eyes & mouth floating over the Boardwalk. This book jacket was originally designed by Francis Coradal-Cugat and it’s not only beautiful, but it’s also a complete icon of book design.

Well, the fun part of their article is that they report about a book collector, and F. Scott Fitzgerald biographer, named Matthew J. Bruccoli who recently donated his HUGE collection of GREAT GATSBY books. What’s great is that it showcases nearly 83 years of book design. Sadly, he died in 2008. But his collection, which is considered to be one of the most complete in the world, lives on at the University of South Carolina.

When asked why he didn’t sell his collection (it’s worth millions) and why donate it, Bruccoli replied, “You don’t buy books as an investment, you buy them because it gives you pleasure to read them, to touch them . . . to see them on shelves.”

As an example of some of the book covers/jackets featured at their site we have posted a few pics down below, but if you CLICK HERE you can enjoy even more eye candy!