Catch-22 - UK 1st
1962
First edition of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1962). Hardback in near fine condition, water marking on front board and foxing on outer sides of pages. The jacket is a second state (also 1962) Now in removable protective sleeve. Please see photos for reference.
About
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.