HELLER, JOSEPH. 1923-1999. Catch-22. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961. 8vo. Publisher's blue-gray cloth titled in white on spine, publisher's pictorial dust jacket. Some staining to cloth along top edge and at foot of spine. Jacket lightly rubbed with a few small tears along edges, some with tape repairs to reverse, small puncture to back panel at fold. Housed in custom orange-brown marbled cloth clamshell box. FIRST EDITION, WITH FIRST STATE DUST JACKET, with author's portrait and no reviews on rear panel, WITH BOOKPLATE SIGNED BY JOSEPH HELLER loosely inserted. Heller's first novel whose title because a popular turn of phrase for a situation there is no winning because of the circular logic of the problem. The phrase is introduced in the novel by Doc Daneeka who explains, 'There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them.' For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing