Other editions of book Flappers and Philosophers

First published in 1920, "Flappers and Philosophers" is the first collection of short stories written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. It was published on the heels of Fitzgerald’s sensational debut, "This Side of Paradise", and anticipated themes in "The Great Gatsby". This iconic collection marks the writer’s entry into short fiction, and contains eight of his most famous early stories, including Bernice Bobs Her Hair, The Ice Palace, Head and Shoulders, and The Offshore Pirate.

Flappers and Philosophers was published in 1920 on the heels of Fitzgerald’s sensational debut, This Side of Paradise, and anticipated themes in The Great Gatsby. This iconic collection marks the writer’s entry into short fiction, and contains some of his most famous early stories, including “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” “The Ice Palace,” “Head and Shoulders,” and “The Offshore Pirate.” In these pages we meet Fitzgerald’s trademark characters: the beautiful, headstrong young women and the dissolute, wandering young men who comprised what came to be called the Lost Generation. With their bobbed hair and dangling cigarettes, his characters are sophisticated, witty, and, above all, modern: the spoiled heiress who falls for her kidnapper, the intellectual student whose life is turned upside-down by a chorus girl, the feuding debutantes whose weapons are cutting words and a pair of scissors. An instant classic in its time, a confirmed part of the canon today, this collection evokes 1920s America through the eyes of a writer indelibly linked to that singular era.

Flappers and Philosophers was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first collection. Today Fitzgerald is known primarily for writing the great American novel The Great Gatsby, but during his lifetime he was much better known for his short stories. After reading this wonderful collection you’ll understand why. Few writers have ever been capable of such a breadth of range as Fitzgerald displays here. Witty, cutting, insightful, and charming!

First published in 1920, Flappers and Philosophers marked F. Scott Fitzgerald’s entry into the realm of the short story, in which he adroitly proved himself “a master of the mechanism of short story technique” (Boston Transcript). Several of his most beloved tales are represented in this collection of eight, including “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” and “Head and Shoulders,” with their particularly O. Henry-like twists; the poignant “Benediction” and “The Cut-Glass Bowl”; and “The Offshore Pirate,” the octet’s opening and most romantic story. It is a collection of masterful short works from an American literary icon that led The New York Times Book Review to note that “[no one] can fail to recognize Mr. Fitzgerald’s talent and genius.”Pocket Books’ Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. Special features include critical perspectives, suggestions for further reading, and a unique visual essay composed of period photographs that help bring every word to life.