Henry Reath ’69 and the First Edition Library

I was dismayed to note that in an article of several thousand words on “How Princetonians Saved The Great Gatsby” there is no mention of Henry Reath ’69 and the First Edition Library (FEL). Founded by Henry, his wife Mary Reath, and Kemp Battle, FEL published carefully researched replica editions of American literary classics. The first three FEL titles produced were For Whom the Bell Tolls, Of Mice and Men and, yes, The Great Gatsby.

The FEL editions duplicated the originals as closely as possible: same weight, size, typeface, art, dust jacket, finish, and texture as the originals. FEL hired engravers to reproduce typefaces that were no longer used. The sewn bindings, stamping, and even the original price on the jacket flap were all exact replicas.

Each publication contained a laid-in card of explanatory notes, including how the title came into being, background on the dedication, the target copy from which the facsimile was produced, and some general notes about the book and its readership. In the case of Gatsby, the target copy came from Firestone Library. Most of the research that went into producing the FEL edition of Gatsby came from Firestone Library.

Surely the Reaths and the First Edition Library made a noteworthy contribution to “How Princetonians Saved The Great Gatsby.”