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highly eccentric. Aside from an obsession with privacy, Shawn was riddled with fears. He was claustrophobic and terrified of fire, machines, animals, and heights. It was said that he carried a hatchet in his briefcase in case he became trapped in an elevator.18 The weight of these phobias should have constricted his prospects, but Shawn possessed raw talent and insight, a sharp editorial instinct that balanced his phobias and cast him onto center stage despite his shyness. By all accounts, he was a consummate professional who valued his authors’ opinions and respected their privacy as much as his own. “Here at The New Yorker,” Shawn declared, “if we tell someone we want to do a profile and that person doesn’t want to cooperate, we don’t do the profile.”19 Artistic and sensitive (Shawn had moved to New York aspiring to be a composer), no editor could have complemented Salinger as well or understood him better.

Oddly, within weeks of Shawn’s ascendancy, Salinger was contacted by his former mentor Whit Burnett. Story magazine was planning a special issue, and Burnett wondered if Salinger, in light of his Catcher success, would contribute a story. “It is a long time since we have seen a story by you,” Burnett commented.20 Salinger declined. He had not forgiven Burnett for the Young Folks anthology episode. And he never would.

At the same time, Salinger found himself forced to deal with John Woodburn and “those bastards” at Little, Brown and Company. It had been seven months since the publication of his novel, and both Little, Brown and Dorothy Olding were pressuring Salinger to consider putting together a collection of short stories, a project that had been under discussion since April 1951 and a desire Salinger had held since 1944. He first met with Robert Machell, who represented Jamie Hamilton in New York, to discuss the project. When Machell reported Salinger’s intention back to London, Hamilton was thrilled over the prospect and Salinger seemed reconciled; but when it came to dealing with John Woodburn, Salinger hesitated.

Still stinging from the Book-of-the-Month Club incident, he decided to deal with the editor only through his agent. By March, though, he decided to postpone the short-story collection, at least temporarily. Imagining himself reliving the misery he had endured the year before, Salinger explained that he did not feel ready for the commotion of publication just yet.21

In fact, Salinger was having a difficult time on a number of levels. He acknowledged not staying “rational” concerning his relationship with the mysterious “Mary,” and moreover, he was having trouble dealing with his notoriety. He found himself in fear of being recognized and confessed that venturing outside his apartment gave him the uncomfortable sensation of being watched. He began to avoid people, and most of his time was spent cowering in his gloomy quarters, unsuccessfully attempting to write, while telephone calls went unanswered and party invitations sat unopened. Within a short time he began to complain of feeling trapped and cut off from others. In an effort to crawl out from what was clearly a looming depression, Salinger left on the trip to Florida and Mexico that he had planned for the previous January.

His itinerary on this trip was deliberately vague. He wanted to get away from the city and relax on a beach in obscurity. And though his original plans had been to begin a new novel while away, later correspondence indicates that he did little actual writing while on holiday. He seems to have been in no hurry to return home, however, and remained in Mexico until June. In the meantime, “De Daumier–Smith’s Blue Period” was published in London’s World Review in May. That same month, Salinger was honored with the 1952 Outstanding Alumnus Award by Valley Forge Military Academy. The awards dinner was planned for May 24, and it was expected that Salinger would attend, give a speech, and receive his honor. Salinger’s sister, Doris, who was taking care of his apartment while he was away, retrieved the announcement and invitation.* After