Inscribed to His Editor
God Knows
Publication: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984. First Edition.
Notes: A remarkable association copy of Heller's novel narrated by King David of the Old Testament, inscribed to Robert Gottlieb, the editor who discovered Catch-22.
Gottlieb is best-known for editing Joseph Heller's Catch-22 when he was at Simon and Schuster; he spent most of his career at Knopf, perhaps the most prestigious literary publisher in the US, with a five-year stint as the editor of The New Yorker (which shared ownership with Knopf). Heller was one of many writers who followed Gottlieb from S&S to Knopf.
Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). A near fine copy in a very good dust jacket with a few edge tears. This copy is inscribed by Joseph Heller to his editor, seemingly referring to the money he had made as a writer and possibly to the advance he received for this book: "To Bob Gottlieb, Who deserves almost all of the credit, but to whom I'll give almost none, so that people might assume he should get a little bit more. Thanks a million -- or two, three or maybe even three hundred and fifteen thousand. Joe Heller 8/28/84."
While Heller often wrote long inscriptions in his books, important association copies of his books, are not common on the market, and given that Gottlieb was (with the possible exception of Heller's agent) the most important literary figure in Heller's life, God knows you can't get a better copy than this.
Item No: #364147
Price: $850