'The Great Gatsby' movie tie-in cover rankles some fans
Print copies of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 鈥�The Great Gatsby鈥� are selling like hotcakes these days. But even as the novel enjoys a resurgence, a new cover has some fans steamed.
While the original cover (you remember it from high school 鈥� that blue backdrop and the two huge eyes) is still available, a new version of the book is also available with a movie tie-in image. That one has much of the cast of Baz Luhrmann鈥檚 upcoming adaptation 鈥� Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby; Carey Mulligan as his love interest Daisy; Joel Edgerton as Daisy鈥檚 husband, Tom; and Tobey Maguire as narrator Nick Carraway 鈥� all gracing the book's front. Actress Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson and Elizabeth Debicki as tennis player Jordan appear as well.聽
But some readers 鈥� and booksellers 鈥� aren鈥檛 happy with the new edition.
鈥淚t's just god-awful," Kevin Cassem, a bookseller at New York indie bookstore McNally Jackson, told The . McNally Jackson isn鈥檛 carrying the new version of the book. 鈥�'The Great Gatsby' is a pillar of American literature, and people don't want it messed with,鈥� says Cassem.
Meanwhile, Cathy Langer, the lead book buyer at Denver鈥檚 Tattered Cover bookstore, said the two covers mean readers just have more options.
鈥淚t really depends who you are,鈥� Langer told the Times. 鈥淚f you think it's cool to have the movie star on the cover, then that's what you'll buy.鈥�
鈥淕atsby鈥� is currently number two on 鈥檚 overall bestseller list (the original cover version holds the spot) and is also number two on the Trade Paperback Fiction IndieBound list for April 22. In addition, sales of 鈥淕atsby鈥� e-books have spiked sharply this year. According to the Times, 125,000 copies have been sold so far this year, compared with 80,000 in all of 2012.
