Flappers and Philosophers was F. Scott Fitzgerald's initial encore - his first collection of short fiction, published in 1920 to capitalize on the success of This Side of Paradise, the novel that had made him famous at the age of twenty-three. Some of his best early stories are included here: 'The Offshore Pirate', 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair', 'The Ice Palace' and 'Benediction'. In these narratives Fitzgerald presented his prototypical Jazz-Age heroines, beautiful and wilful young women who later became trademarks of his fiction. *Flappers and Philosophers* marked F. Scott Fitzgerald's entry into the realm of the short story, in which he adroitly proved himself ""a master of the mechanism of short story technique"" *(Boston Transcript).* Several of his most beloved tales are represented in this collection of eight, with their particularly O. Henry­-like twists; the poignant ""Benediction"" and ""The Cut-Glass Bowl""; and ""The Offshore Pirate,"" the octet's opening and most romantic story.