Simon and Schuster, 2011. First thus. Paper boards. Very good +/Very good +. First printing thus pf this 2011 anniversary edition of the classic work, very good + hardcover shows some soiling mainly in the form of faint white staining to lower portion of rear cover from some moisture picked up at some point that also affects the bottom portion of last 20 pages or so with some light waviness, else tight and clean, in very good + dust jacket (price at flap) that shows a light bit of rubbing and soil with little bit of very faint white staining to lower blue portion of rear panel. 524 pages. Actually, this does remain an attractive copy of this first printing of the anniversary edition.

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.

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Details

Bookseller: Barker Books & Vintage (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 33037
Title: Catch-22: 50th Anniversary Edition
Author: Heller, Joseph
Format/Binding: Paper boards
Book Condition: Used - Very good +
Jacket Condition: Very good +
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: First thus
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1451621175
ISBN 13: 9781451621174
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 2011
Keywords: Antiques, Collectibles, Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula, Montana, Used Books, Rare Books

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About Barker Books & Vintage

Welcome to Barker Books & Vintage. We are a brick and mortar retailer of carefully selected books and other paper related product, located in Helena, Montana. We use our office mainly to buy books but are willing to allow perusal of inventory upon request. Our special emphasis on quality books includes a broad range of titles with particular interest given to those being uncommon or collectible. We have been in business close to twenty five years including our new home in Montana. Please call with any questions.

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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Jacket: Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
Rubbing: Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.