8 F. Scott Fitzgerald Books for Free! [PDF]

Flappers and Philosophers is F. Scott Fitzgerald's first short story collection, published the same year as This Side of Paradise. These eight stories capture the restless energy of post-World War I America.

From debutantes defying expectations to idealists clashing with reality, Fitzgerald dissects the tensions between ambition, love, and social convention. Each story is a sharp portrait of a generation inventing itself in real time.

The collection includes some of Fitzgerald's most celebrated early work, like "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and "The Offshore Pirate." More relevant today than when it was written, these stories reveal how little has changed about youth, desire, and the cost of reinvention.

Tales of the Jazz Age is F. Scott Fitzgerald's second short story collection, published in 1922, capturing the reckless energy and disillusionment of post-World War I America.

The collection features eleven stories and a short play, ranging from the biting social satire of "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" to the haunting fantasy of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Fitzgerald blends humor, tragedy, and sharp observation across wildly different tones and settings.

The interesting thing about this collection is that it showcases Fitzgerald's range well before The Great Gatsby cemented his reputation. Several of these stories feel more relevant today than when they were written, especially in how they expose the emptiness behind wealth and spectacle.

Tarquin of Cheapside is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's earliest short stories, first published in the Nassau Literary Magazine in 1917 during his Princeton years. Later revised and included in Tales of the Jazz Age (1922), it reveals a young writer already experimenting with voice, atmosphere, and literary playfulness.

Set in Elizabethan London in 1594, the story follows a mysterious fugitive called "Soft Shoes" who seeks refuge in the home of Wessel Caxter, a quiet scholar reading The Faerie Queene. As armed pursuers close in, Wessel must decide whether to protect the stranger or save himself.

The twist ending connects the tale to Shakespeare's "The Rape of Lucrece," making this a clever literary puzzle wrapped in suspense. Few people know this story, but it offers a fascinating window into Fitzgerald's ambition and wit long before The Great Gatsby made him famous.

The Beautiful and Damned is F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, published in 1922, and one of the sharpest portraits of the Jazz Age excess that would define his literary career.

The story follows Anthony Patch and his wife Gloria as they burn through youth, beauty, and wealth while waiting for a massive inheritance. Their marriage, fueled by parties and entitlement, slowly unravels under the weight of their own recklessness.

More relevant today than when it was written, this novel cuts deep into the hollow promise of the American Dream. Fitzgerald delivers a cautionary tale about what happens when privilege meets passivity, and few writers have done it with such precision.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, first published in 1922, that flips the human experience on its head: a man is born old and ages in reverse.

Benjamin Button enters the world as a seventy-year-old and grows younger with each passing year, experiencing love, war, and family from an entirely inverted perspective.

The story remains a sharp, inventive exploration of how society treats age, identity, and the passage of time. More relevant today than when it was written, it challenges readers to reconsider what it means to truly live.

The Diamond As Big As The Ritz is a satirical novella by F. Scott Fitzgerald, first published in 1922. It blends fantasy with sharp social commentary in a way that feels surprisingly modern.

The story follows young John T. Unger, who visits a classmate's family estate hidden in the Montana mountains, built on a diamond literally as large as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. What begins as a tale of luxury quickly turns dark as the family's horrifying methods for protecting their secret are revealed.

Fitzgerald wrote this before The Great Gatsby, yet it contains the same biting critique of American wealth worship. If you're drawn to stories that expose the corruption behind extreme privilege, this one cuts deep.

The Great Gatsby is an epic story about love and ambition in 1920s America. F. Scott Fitzgerald brings to life Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man who faces many challenges as he chases the dream of a perfect love.

In this novel, love is both a glittering promise and a harsh reality. Every page reveals new secrets and surprises, drawing you into a world of glamour, heartbreak, and the pursuit of a dream that may always remain just out of reach.

This Side of Paradise is F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, published in 1920, and it made him a literary sensation almost overnight. It captures the restless ambitions and romantic disillusions of a generation coming of age in post-World War I America.

The story follows Amory Blaine from his privileged but aimless youth through Princeton and into a series of love affairs that leave him searching for meaning. It is part coming-of-age tale, part social critique, written with a sharp eye for the contradictions of wealth and idealism.

The interesting thing about this novel is that it essentially defined the voice of the Jazz Age before the era had a name. More relevant today than when it was written, its themes of identity, ambition, and disenchantment still resonate with anyone navigating the gap between expectation and reality.