A rare signed edition of J. D. Salinger’s seminal novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is being sold by Peter Harrington Books for £225,000.
The front free endpaper of the book features the inscription: “To Charles Kirtz with every good wish from JD Salinger (extra greetings to Ada and Victor from Sonny Salinger) New York 10/18/56.”
The copy is one of the only signed editions of the novel. In 2010, a signed copy sold for a mere £56,000 as part of a charity auction. This low figure was due to its poor condition, and the assumption that many signed editions would enter the market after Salinger’s death only a few months earlier.
However, Salinger’s well-documented private nature meant that he was against “the use of biographical material to promote his work,” Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington Books, says.
“The signoff, ‘Sonny’, was the nickname given to Salinger by his parents when he was born. This is the only known inscribed copy of the book to be signed by Salinger using this nickname,” he adds.
The piece will be sold at First: London’s rare book fair, the theme of which is banned books. The Catcher in the Rye was, for over 20 years, the most censored book in American schools and libraries.
“It is perhaps the most elusive prize in 20th-century literature. Auction records show only one appearance of an inscribed first edition—owning an inscribed copy would be the high spot of any serious modern American literature collection,” Harrington states.
Words by Lucy Carter
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