Catch-22 (Uncorrected proof, Agent's copy)
by Heller, Joseph
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961. First Edition . Soft cover. Very Good. First edition, uncorrected proof. This is Candida Donadio's copy. Donadio was Joseph Heller's agent and responsbile for the "22" in Catch-22. Donadio's name and address have been written on the front cover between "Catch-22" and "Joseph Heller". This was the working copy in Donadio's office. It is, therefore, a very good copy in somewhat darkened wrappers with a few random spots. The interior text is, for the most part, in fine condition, but a few pages have been roughly opened along the bottom edge.
Synopsis
Catch-22 is Joseph Heller’s first novel and his most acclaimed work. Set during World War II, the novel uses a distinctive non-chronological third-person omniscient narration, mainly focusing on the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Occasionally, the narrator also shows us how other characters, such as the chaplain or Hungry Joe, experience the world around them. As the novel’s events are described from the different points of view through separate out-of-sequence storylines, the timeline of Catch-22 develops along with the plot. The novel's title refers to a plot device that is repeatedly invoked in the story. Catch-22 starts as a set of paradoxical requirements whereby airmen mentally unfit to fly did not have to, but could not actually be excused. By the end of the novel, the phrase is invoked as the explanation for many unreasonable restrictions. “Catch-22” has since entered the English language and can be understood as an unsolvable logic puzzle, a difficult situation from which there is no escape. Upon publication, the book was not a best seller in the United States. It was merely a cult favorite until the publication of the paperback edition in 1962, which set record sales — most likely benefitting from a national debate about the pointlessness of the Vietnam War. Catch-22 has since been ranked as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by the Modern Library, one of the 20th century's top 100 novels by the Radcliffe Publishing Course, and one of the 100 greatest novels of all time by The Observer.
Read More: Identifying first editions of Catch-22 (Uncorrected proof, Agent's copy)
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Details
- Seller
- Clayton Fine Books
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- B19689
- Title
- Catch-22 (Uncorrected proof, Agent's copy)
- Author
- Heller, Joseph
- Format/Binding
- Soft cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1961
Terms of Sale
Clayton Fine Books
All books are returnable for any reason within ten days of purchase. All items are offered subject to prior sale. Payment by PayPal, money order or check. Payment with order except for those customers known to us or who call us. In the latter case, we will ship the book when payment is received. Libraries and institutions may be invoiced with shipment. All shipments within the U.S. are made by USPS or Fed/Ex. Larger, heavier items may result in additional shipping charges. West Virginia residents must add 6% sales tax. For customers outside of the U.S., shipment will normally be made via priority mail.
About the Seller
Clayton Fine Books
Biblio member since 2007
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
About Clayton Fine Books
Clayton Fine Books is an online business only. The bulk of our stock is concentrated in literature, art history and Americana. Substantial quantities of back issues magazines and historical newspapers.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Uncorrected Proof
- An uncorrected proof is a printed copy of a book that needs to be reviewed for errors and corrections. They are released prior...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
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