"Trimalchio: An Early Version of The Great Gatsby" offers a unique window into the creative process of F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the literary giants of the 20th century. This early version, circa 1924-1925, came from the period when Fitzgerald wanted to name his novel after the opulent ex-slave who also throws lavish parties in Nero’s Rome in Petronius's "Satyricon. " In these pages, readers are granted access to Fitzgerald's evolving conception of the narrative and his masterful refinement of character and theme. "Trimalchio" is not merely a preliminary sketch; it is a complete work in its own right, where the characters we have come to know—Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Nick—appear in slightly different forms, and the narrative takes turns that diverge from the famous path of its successor. What stands out in "Trimalchio" is its rawness. It offers a more direct glimpse into the Jazz Age, and perhaps, into Fitzgerald's own perceptions of the excesses and follies of the time. The core of the novel, the elusive American Dream, is rendered with a bluntness that sharpens its critique, making this version a compelling companion to the final work, so much so that Director Baz Luhrmann found it essential reading when fleshing out parts of Gatsby and Daisy’s narrative for his 2013 film version of “The Great Gatsby.” This edition of "Trimalchio" is for scholars and enthusiasts alike, for those who wish to understand the genesis of a great American novel, and for those who seek to rediscover the allure of Gatsby's tragic story. It is an invitation to step back in time to the Roaring Twenties as Fitzgerald first saw them, in all their gilded splendor and hidden despair. While much of "Trimalchio" is unchanged from the final published novel, it offers several notable differences from “The Great Gatsby.”