"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

"I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.  Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around-- nobody big, I mean-- except me.  And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.  What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-- I mean if they're running and they start to go over the cliff-- I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.  That's all I'd do all day.  I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."  

SALINGER, J.D.  The Catcher in the Rye.  Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951.  Octavo, original black cloth, original dust jacket. $20,000.

First edition in first-issue dust jacket.  Book fine, very bright unrestored dust jacket with virtually no edgewear; front panel of dust-jacket remarkably bright and vibrant; some fading to spine. An outstanding copy.

Please see the first edition of Franny and Zooey.