A GREAT RARITY: PUBLISHER'S FILE COPY OF RAISE HIGH THE ROOF BEAM AND SEYMOUR, HAND-CORRECTED BY THE EDITOR/PROOFREADER
SALINGER, J.D. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction. Boston and Toronto: Little, Brown, [1963]. Octavo, original gray cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box. $11,000.
First edition, third issue (as usual), of Salinger's unforgettable Glass family saga. The publisher's file copy, labeled as a manufacturing sample and with four typographical errors noted by an editor/proofreader.
Like Franny and Zooey (1961), these two long stories were first printed in The New Yorker, and form part of Salinger's uncompleted series about the Glass family. "Rarely if ever in literary history has a handful of stories aroused so much discussion, controversy, praise, denunciation, mystification and interpretation" (New York Times). First edition, third issue, as usual, with dedication leaf following the title page. Only a very few copies were issued without a dedication leaf; the second issue, also quite scarce, had a tipped-in dedication leaf before the half title, in front of the title page; this third issue has the dedication leaf (at first tipped in, as here; later bound in) after the title page. With "Seymore" uncorrected (page 173, lines 12-13). Starosciak A42. Bruccoli & Clark I:315. This was the publisher's (Little, Brown) file copy and remains the only known file copy. Label on rear endpaper reading: "SAMPLE. Return to Manufacturing Department Little Brown and Company. Published: 1/28,63. Cloth: GSB Silver Black. Word Count: 54,225." There are also four corrections in two unknown hands written on the verso of the front free endpaper: "Corrections p 117 p 159 185 p. 173." These handwritten corrections are also present in the text: "if" to it" on page 117; "interior" to "inferior" on page 159; "Camup" to "Camp" on page 185; and "Seymore" to "Seymour" on page 179, this error commonly used as a first-issue point. Contemporary newspaper clipping laid in discussing Salinger's dismay over the missing dedication in the first issue and the publisher's efforts to rectify the error.
Book with a few tiny spots of soiling to interior, glue residue to rear pastedown, a couple tiny spots to boards, and spine toned. Dust jacket with slightest soiling to rear panel and light wear to extremities. A bright, near-fine copy with interesting provenance.