Oct 27, 2022 - Sale 2619

Sale 2619 - Lot 219

Price Realized: $ 2,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,500 - $ 3,500
[SALINGER, J.D.] Hamilton, Ian. A Writing Life. 8vo, original yellow wrappers printed in black, backstrip faded slightly, few small scratches and spots to back wrapper, publisher's printed announcement cellotaped to front wrapper. First edition, first state of the uncorrected proofs with all suppressed content extant. The front wrapper and title-page with the misspelling of the author's name ("Hamiton"). The publication was halted by Salinger who objected to Hamilton's use of many of his unpublished letters: "Salinger received a set of the galley proofs of this version (the 'May galleys') and learned from the galleys and the footnote citations to his letters that the letters had been donated to university libraries. In response, he took two actions. First, he registered 79 of his unpublished letters for copyright protection. Second, he instructed his counsel to object to publication of the biography until all of Salinger's unpublished materials were deleted" (http://www.law.cornel.edu/copyright/cases/811_F2D_90.htm). The text was then revised by omitting or closely paraphrasing much of the quoted material and a second set of proofs was released later the same year (the "October galleys") but did nothing to placate Salinger, who instituted legal proceedings to halt publication. The suit ultimately reached the Supreme Court, who ruled in Salinger's favor. A scarce Salinger item, containing the only appearance in print of some of his significant correspondence, largely sourced from the Harvard, Princeton and University of Texas libraries. New York: Random House, 1986