FRANNY AND ZOOEY - Original Dustwrapper Artwork - INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR.

Original dustwrapper designs produced for the 1961 first edition of Franny and Zooey, annotated by J. D. Salinger. Two dustwrapper designs on gloss white card. The first is a trial design in blue, orange and black, folded as a dustwrapper with blank flaps. This design was evidently under early consideration by the author and is referred to in a letter to his editor Ned [Bradford] dated May, 10 1961 "That's a very nice blue. I feel, too, that the red-line border is better, livelier than the black" [a photocopy of the letter is included]. The second artwork is what would become the actual design used for the first edition and is annotated by J. D. Salinger in pencil "This is the one I like, but with the diagonal stripe removed [with an arrow to the subsequently removed (clipped) stripe]. Many thanks!". Together with a fine copy, in fine dustwrapper, of the first edition, first printing. All housed within in a bespoke navy blue quarter morocco solander case. A remarkable and unique artifact from the publishing history and hand of one of the most reclusive authors in twentieth century literature.

J. Randall Williams, who managed the New York office of Little Brown, was one of the very few people permitted to maintain some contact with the author - by telephone and mail only - to deal with the physical details of bringing out the books. "A very particular man" was Salinger, exceptionally fussy about type faces and the quality of paper and design. For the green and white jacket of Franny and Zooey, published in 1961, Williams thinks he sent out 27 samples of white before the precise shade was found to suit Salinger. (Dudar, Helen: J. D. Salinger in Retreat; Writers Bloc, June 1979)