J. D. Salinger_ A Life - Kenneth Slawenski [109]
I asked him, “Can I talk to you?” and we went into a little side office. Then I just told him, “These guys know how to sell books. Why don’t you let them do it?” In the end, he said okay.13
Salinger may have acquiesced to the Holden cover, but it was certainly not “okay.”
Little, Brown had wisely avoided an inevitable skirmish with Salinger over his book’s hardcover design by accepting an illustration by Michael Mitchell, a personal friend of Salinger’s from his days living in Stamford and now a fellow Westporter. Salinger was naturally delighted by the choice of artist, an opinion justified by Mitchell’s design. Depicting a stylized red horse rampant in fury, the image eloquently conveyed the depth of the novel within and remains emblematic of The Catcher in the Rye to this day.
When Little, Brown sent the novel to galleys, Salinger called John Woodburn and requested that no promotional copies be sent to book reviewers or the press. It was normal practice in the publishing world to distribute advance copies of a book before publication. Woodburn was dumbstruck at Salinger’s request. When he pointed out that the advance transcripts were necessary for publicity, Salinger told him that he did not want any publicity. In addition, he was having problems with Little, Brown’s design and wanted his photograph removed from the back cover. It was, Salinger said, simply too big.*
Alarmed and frustrated by these demands, Woodburn appealed to the vice president of Little, Brown, D. Angus Cameron. He explained the situation and asked for help. Cameron immediately left Boston for New York City and met with Salinger. “Do you want this book published or just printed?” he asked. Salinger held his resentment in check and agreed to allow Little, Brown to distribute copies, but Woodburn would soon pay for having involved Cameron.
In March 1951, amid his struggles with Little, Brown, Salinger had his first meeting with Jamie Hamilton. The publisher traveled to New York with his wife, Yvonne, to meet his American authors and bonded with Salinger immediately. Salinger was equally impressed and especially relieved by Hamilton’s apparent concern to accommodate his wishes. After his ongoing confrontation with John Woodburn, Salinger felt he had found in Jamie Hamilton an editor who would do justice to his book. His feelings seemed confirmed when Hamilton returned to Britain and sent him a gift of books along with a very flattering letter. Salinger was delighted by the gesture. He sensed that he had found not only a worthy editor but a kindred spirit.
Preparations for the release of The Catcher in the Rye had occupied Salinger since late 1950. Each step of the process—publicity, correcting proofs, examining galleys, and presentation—had been an ordeal. By April, Salinger found himself embroiled in a whirlwind of prepublication commotion that he despised. Disillusioned and increasingly uncomfortable, he could not wait for the process to end.
One day in early April, Salinger was washing his car at Westport when the telephone rang. Annoyed at the timing, he rushed into the house and ran up the stairs to answer the call. On the line was the excited John Woodburn. “Are you sitting down?” he asked. Salinger was wet and out of breath. Woodburn broke the news that after receiving a galley copy of The Catcher in the Rye, the Book-of-the-Month Club had chosen it to be its summer release. The selection would guarantee the novel instant popularity and was a publicity coup bar none. Salinger, who had never expected to make a great deal of money from the book, was afraid the deal would only postpone the book’s release and prolong his stress.