Catch-22 by HELLER, Joseph - 1962

London: Jonathan Cape, 1962. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine-/Fine-. First Impression (no further printings noted). 8vo: 6],443,[1]pp. Publisher's red cloth, spine stamped in gilt (still brillant), top edge stained green; second-state dust jacket (with blurbs from four authors and the New York Times on back panel), illustrated by Germano Facetti and priced 21s. Almost Fine (faded top edge, spotted fore- and bottom edges), in about Fine jacket (dust-soiled back panel and spine-panel folds). (Time 100). The catch-22 in Heller's debut novel (in which the phrase was coined), set in the closing months of World War II, is that "anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy." Hence, pilots who request a mental-fitness evaluation are sane, and therefore must fly in combat. At the same time, if an evaluation is not requested by the pilot, he will never receive one and thus can never be found insane, in which case he must also fly in combat. According to Wikipedia, the number has no particular significance; it was chosen, by Heller and his publishers, for euphony. Time called the novel a "bitter, anguished joke . . . that embraces the existential absurdity of war without ever quite succumbing to it." N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).