100 Years of Gatsby

Midtown Scholar Bookstore

One hundred years ago, on April 10, 1925, Charles Scribner's Sons published The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Today, we celebrate.

One hundred years ago, on April 10, 1925, Charles Scribner's Sons published The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. After its initial publication, reviews were mixed; the book was considered a commercial failure, and it wasn't until after World War II that the novel earned widespread critical and popular acclaim. Today, it is considered one of the greatest novels in American history.To celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby, the Harrisburg Book Festival will host an evening of live music, dramatic readings, a panel conversation, Gatsby-themed beverages and hors d’oeuvres, and more. Dressing up in your favorite 1920's era vintage attire is highly encouraged.The evening's main event will feature a panel conversation on the legacy of The Great Gatsby with award-winning authors Michael Farris Smith (author of Nick) and K.M. Fajardo (author of Local Heavens), moderated by Princeton University rare book librarian, Emma Sarconi. Hors d'oeuvres provided by cookbook author, Becky Diamond (The Gilded Age Cookbook).Registration is required for this event. Every free general admission ticket includes admission only. Every VIP general admission ticket includes admission, a $10 credit towards any of the featured author's books, a commemorative poster, and one free cafe beverage. Seating is limited, and is available on a first come, first served basis. Early arrival is encouraged. Doors will open at 7:00pm. About the Book:The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.About the Panelists:K. M. Fajardo is a second-generation Filipino-Canadian speculative fiction writer from Ontario, Canada. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Global Business and Digital Arts before working in the tech industry. Her short fiction has previously been published in Canadian publications, Augur and Ricepaper Magazine. She now writes full-time in Toronto and is currently working on her second book, a fantasy work inspired by Filipino culture and myth.Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden &amp; Gun, Oprah Magazine, and numerous other outlets. In 2021, he released the novel Nick, a prequel to The Great Gatsby, bringing Nick Carraway to life with his own story in the years before meeting Gatsby, with The Washington Post declaring "creating a worthy home to Fitzgerald's finest novel is a remarkable accomplishment."As a screenwriter, he scripted the feature-film adaptation of his novel <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14633464/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" title="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14633464/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Desperation Road</a> which was a Top 10 global hit on Netflix. His latest novel, Lay Your Armor Down, released in 2025, which reviewers describe as "brutally brilliant" (Orlando-Sentinel) and "a bracing fever dream of a novel" (Publisher's Weekly).Emma M. Sarconi is a rare book librarian and book historian specializing in the printed book after 1800. As the Reference and Outreach Specialist for Special Collections at Princeton University, Sarconi is continuing her public service work in a rare book library setting through reference, involvement in the Teach With Collections initiative, library projects and events, while also working on projects aimed at telling stories of the women represented in the objects found in Princeton’s Special Collections.

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