An exceptional presentation to family friends, signed both as J. D. and “Sonny” Salinger 53 SALINGER, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951 £225,000 [ 158632 ]
Octavo. Original black cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket, designed by Michael Mitchell. Housed in a red quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. A fine copy, in a lovely example of the dust jacket, spine panel mildly toned, extremities lightly rubbed and nicked, not price-clipped, the notoriously fugitive red exceptionally bright and fresh.
First edition, first printing, extremely rare presentation copy, inscribed by the author to family friends on the front free endpaper: “To Charles Kirtz with every good wish from J. D. Salinger (extra greetings to Ada and Victor from Sonny Salinger) New York 10/18/56”. This is an exceptional rarity: signed or inscribed copies by the reclusive Salinger are notoriously scarce. An inscribed copy of Catcher in the Rye is perhaps the most elusive prize in 20th-century literature. Auction records show only one appearance of an inscribed first edition (at Doyle in 2010). This copy was one of two inscribed first editions that Salinger gave to Ann Agoos, inscribed to her grandsons Charles and his brother William. Ann, whose bookplate is on the front pastedown, and her husband Sam lived in the same apartment house as Salinger’s parents, at 1182 Park Avenue, New York City. Salinger was childhood friends with their children, the recipient’s mother Ada and her brother Victor, also referenced in the inscription; the sign-off, “Sonny”, was the nickname given to Salinger by his parents when he was born. A letter of provenance from the recipient is available on request.
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