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Catch-22: 50th Anniversary Edition Hardcover – April 5, 2011

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14,610 ratings

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This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction; critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos; and much more.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Now a Hulu limited series starring Christopher Abbott, George Clooney, Kyle Chandler, and Hugh Laurie.

Fifty years after its original publication, Catch-22 remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest—and most celebrated—books of all time. In recent years it has been named to “best novels” lists by Time, Newsweek, the Modern Library, and the London Observer.

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.

This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos from Joseph Heller’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Catch-22 is the only war novel I've ever read that makes any sense." —Harper Lee

“One of the most bitterly funny works in the language . . . Explosive, bitter, subversive, brilliant.” —
The New Republic

“To my mind, there have been two great American novels in the past fifty years.
Catch-22 is one.” —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

“This novel is not merely the best American novel to come out of World War II, it is the best American novel that has come out of anywhere in years.” —Nelson Algren,
The Nation

“It’s the rock and roll of novels . . . There’s no book like it. . . . Surprisingly powerful.” —Norman Mailer,
Esquire

“To call it the finest comic novel of our day is faulting it. If Joseph Heller writes no other book, he will be well remembered for this apocalyptic masterpiece.” —Studs Terkel,
Chicago Sun-Times

“Wildly original, brilliantly comic, brutally gruesome, it is a dazzling performance that will probably outrage nearly as many readers as it delights.” —Orville Prescott,
New York Times Book Review

“One of the greatest anti-war books ever written.” —
Vanity Fair

About the Author

Joseph Heller was born in Brooklyn in 1923. In 1961, he published Catch-22, which became a bestseller and, in 1970, a film. He went on to write such novels as Good as Gold, God Knows, Picture This, Closing Time, and Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man. Heller died in 1999.

Christopher Buckley is a novelist, essayist, humorist, critic, magazine editor, and memoirist. His books include
Thank You for Smoking, The Judge Hunter, Make Russia Great Again, and The Relic Master. He worked as a merchant seaman and White House speechwriter. He was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor and the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Anniversary,Reprint edition (April 5, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451621175
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451621174
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1140L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.6 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14,610 ratings

About the author

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Joseph Heller
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Joseph Heller was born in 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. He served as a bombardier in the Second World War and then attended New York University and Columbia University and then Oxford, the last on a Fullbright scholarship. He then taught for two years at Pennsylvania State University, before returning to New York, where he began a successful career in the advertising departments of Time, Look and McCall's magazines. It was during this time that he had the idea for Catch-22. Working on the novel in spare moments and evenings at home, it took him eight years to complete and was first published in 1961. His second novel, Something Happened was published in 1974, Good As Gold in 1979 and Closing Time in 1994. He is also the author of the play We Bombed in New Haven.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
14,610 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They describe it as a humorous, dark, and comedic satire of military bureaucracy. Many readers find the story interesting and thought-provoking, with allusions to everyday life. The book is considered a classic and worth reading. However, some customers find the writing style disjointed and hard to follow at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

437 customers mention "Readability"384 positive53 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate its clever storytelling and mention it's a classic that should be read by book lovers of all genres. The book shines on many levels, from entertainment to anti-war prose, with superior character development. It is considered one of the defining reads of the 20th century and explores humanity in an insightful way.

"...This is a great American classic and should be read by book lovers of all genres...." Read more

"One of my favorite books. I was in an Army hospital in 1966 when I first read Catch 22...." Read more

"...Although initially this style felt original and witty, at times it became stilted due to overuse...." Read more

"...Having said all that I will say this: I did enjoy portions of the book. Heller's take on the absurdities of the military bureaucracy are funny...." Read more

265 customers mention "Humor"217 positive48 negative

Customers enjoy the humor of the book. They find it satirical and witty, effectively satirizing World War II and other wars. The absurdity and wit elevate the book to the level of art.

"...There are two subplots that are absolutely hysterical. The first involves the Chaplain's hostile assistant, Cpl. Whitcomb...." Read more

"...Although initially this style felt original and witty, at times it became stilted due to overuse...." Read more

"...Very funny and very true. I loved it." Read more

"A classic set during World War II and a great choice if you grok gallows humor in your horrors-of-war reading...." Read more

264 customers mention "Classic novel"198 positive66 negative

Customers find the book engaging. They appreciate the allusions to everyday life with universal relevance. The absurdity of the story has an appeal. Readers say it balances the horrors and mindset of war with humor and absurdity. They mention the right balance of drama, with each chapter having a different story and character. Overall, the book provides satirical and surreal criticism of war and bureaucracy.

"...the `other voices' section of this book: "You will meet in this astonishing novel, certainly one of the most original in years, madmen of every rank..." Read more

"...Although the setting is strictly military, the story is loaded with allusions to everyday life with universal relevance...." Read more

"One of the great American novels, period. I read it when I was in the Army in Germany, and my copy quickly traveled through the barracks...." Read more

"...So, for me, where this novel fails miserably is when Heller is tearing down the appropriateness and necessity of war, and when he treads into bitter..." Read more

144 customers mention "Thought provoking"110 positive34 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and insightful. They appreciate the mix of humor and harsh reality, providing a sense of insanity as one of the key themes. The book is described as a deeply moral and darkly humorous novel with realistic qualities.

"...Heller manages to hold the story coherent with the help of the vibrant Yossarian and the powerful satirical narration...." Read more

"...Very funny and very true. I loved it." Read more

"...As an older adult I enjoyed the complexity and harsh reality of the story." Read more

"...In the end I realized this isn’t a comedy, it’s a horror story. With real monsters that don’t have to hide behind shadows...." Read more

32 customers mention "Value for money"28 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They find it a difficult read but worth it, with good symbolism and an awesome seller.

"great price. great book." Read more

"...Worth picking up, and probably still deserves a place on a must read list." Read more

"...It was worth the journey. This is one book you should read." Read more

"...It's worth it, I promise. Those times when you're reading and think, there's no way out of this, is there? Well there is, so stick with it!..." Read more

111 customers mention "Writing style"68 positive43 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find it brilliant and unusual, with a well-printed book. Others find it disjointed, hard to follow, and wordy in some parts. The book is described as a very dense read, but its humor provokes great laughter.

"...The book is one of relentless madness well told." Read more

"...As I tried to get into the book, I developed a strong distaste for the writing style and I had to force myself through this book most of the time...." Read more

"...Well, let's start with the simple part. The book itself is well printed, with the 50th Anniversary edition boosting some additional material, which,..." Read more

"...This is a pretty fantastic book, and it's incredibly well written." Read more

103 customers mention "Pacing"43 positive60 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it engaging and informative, with a thorough chronology. Others feel it's repetitive and frustrating at times.

"...This is perhaps a simplified, perhaps even a pacifist concept of war, but it comes from someone who has personal experience of the devastation war..." Read more

"Yup pretty much sums it all up. Most accurate description of military service I’ve seen written as satire. Very funny." Read more

"...(satirical and absurdist) novel in some little bits, but it's also a tedious and repetitive novel...." Read more

"...The story is repetitive and not confusing to follow. At the same time, I had to stop several times and think on how it would end...." Read more

71 customers mention "Character development"47 positive24 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters well-developed, colorful, and realistic. Others feel the characters are outlandish and far-fetched.

"...astonishing novel, certainly one of the most original in years, madmen of every rank: Major Major Major, on whose unwilling frame the gold leaf is..." Read more

"...There are also so many characters in the novel and few of them are clearly delineated so that when they speak with Catch-22 reasoning, they’re..." Read more

"...Most chapters are methodically built around various characters who interact with Yossarian...." Read more

"...The characters were pretty well developed, and with all the description the reader knows about every freckle or wart on their faces...." Read more

50th Anniversary Hardcover is Gorgeous
5 out of 5 stars
50th Anniversary Hardcover is Gorgeous
The horror stories on here with photographs of terrible prints are all of the softcover. The hardcover is what you'd expect from a reputable publisher.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2013
    This uproarious satirical novel by Joseph Heller prompted me to think of Robert Crichton's 'The Secret Of Santa Vittoria', another novel blending WWII and comedy. Published in 1961, 'Catch-22' was the forerunner of Richard Hooker's 1968 novel, 'Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'. It's not about Army Doctor's in Korea, but about Army Air Force pilots and bombardiers during WWII stationed on the small island of Pianosa, west of Italy. In order to understand the insanity of this story, the reader has to comprehend what Catch-22 means. In chapter five, Doc Daneeka explains to Yossarian ( main character ) and Orr, his roommate, why he can't ground them due to insanity: "There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle."That's some catch, that catch-22," he observed."It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed." This catch was why none of the bombing personnel were able to avoid flying mission after mission.

    The main character is Captain Yossarian, a bombardier who is convinced he is going to die on a mission. In chapter two, he explains to fellow officer, Clevinger why: "They're trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly. "No one's trying to kill you," Clevinger cried. "Then why are they shooting at me?" Yossarian asked. "They're shooting at everyone," Clevinger answered. "They're trying to kill everyone." "And what difference does that make?" Yossarian's fear of dying on a bombing raid was enhanced by his group commander, Colonel Cathcart. His lack of compassion was buoyed by his desire to be a general and more importantly, to be featured in 'The Saturday Evening Post'! If the Air Force wanted 40 missions before you could go home, the Colonel wanted 45. Every time someone came close to obtaining the target number of missions for being sent home, Colonel Cathcart raised the required number again. The Colonel is only one of the complex characters in this novel.

    I have many favorite characters and situations in this sometimes disturbing, but whimsical story. The first is Lt. Milo Minderbinder, the mess hall officer. From day one, he wheels and deals like no other war time entrepreneur. He gets away with his shenanigans by telling everyone that they have a share in his enterprises. In chapter 22, he explains his egg business: ..." I make a profit of three and a quarter cents an egg by selling them for four and a quarter cents an egg to the people in Malta I buy them from for seven cents an egg. Of course, I don't make the profit. The syndicate makes the profit. And everybody has a share." He gets into so many businesses that he even deals with the Germans! In chapter 24, he takes a contract from the Germans to bomb his own base: "This time Milo had gone too far. Bombing his own men and planes was more than even the most phlegmatic observer could stomach, and it looked like the end for him...Milo was all washed up until he opened his books to the public and disclosed the tremendous profit he had made." Then he says in the same chapter: "I'd like to see the government get out of war altogether and leave the whole field to private industry. "As the Milo character gets deeper into the book, it only gets more humorous.

    My second favorite is Major Major Major Major, the squadron commander, who looked like Henry Fonda! People who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was! In chapter nine, we learn: "With a little ingenuity and vision, he had made it all but impossible for anyone in the squadron to talk to him, which was just fine with everyone, he noticed, since no one wanted to talk to him anyway." In chapter ten, we find that: "Major Major never sees anyone in his office while he's in his office." But you can see him, if he is not in his office. If you try to barge into his tent, he goes out the window. I know it's confusing, but his first, middle and last name was Major, thus the four 'majors' when he got promoted to, you guessed it, Major.This book is a riot.

    My third favorite is Major-------de Coverley, Major Major Major Major's executive officer. Throughout the novel he has a blank for his first name. His function is uncertain at best. He basically pitches horseshoes all day, kidnaps Italian workers, and rents apartments for his men to use on rest leave. As soon as he hears of a city that the U.S.Army has captured, he's on his way there, usually at the head of the procession in a Jeep. No one ( friend, or foe ) knows who he is! But the reader knows that he is there just to rent apartments for his men. His picture appears in many publications, as if he is is leading the conquering army. I'm telling you this book is a gas.

    There are two subplots that are absolutely hysterical. The first involves the Chaplain's hostile assistant, Cpl. Whitcomb. The corporal comes up with the following generic condolence letter: "Dear Mrs., Mr., Miss, or Mr. And Mrs. Daneeka: Words cannot express the deep personal grief I experienced when your husband, son, father, or brother was killed, wounded, or reported missing in action."This one was sent to Doc Daneeka's wife, even though the Doc wasn't dead. Col. Cathcart feels this letter will prove his concern for his men and finally get him in The Saturday Evening Post. He promotes Whitcomb to sergeant! The second subplot revolves around our hero, Yossarian. After Yossarian tells Lt. Nately's whore that Nately was killed in action, She tries to kill Yossarian and she relentlessly pursues him chapter, after chapter. Nobody knows why she wants to slay him, but it is funny.

    The reader will also meet: Chaplain Tappman, who is intimidated by everyone; Nurses Cramer and Duckett; Hungry Joe and his screaming nightmares; Chief White Halfoat, who knows he is going to die of pneumonia; Aarfy, the navigator; and Huple, the fifteen year old pilot, just to mention a few. How Joseph Heller kept track of all these characters is unbelievable.There is so much going on in this book that I had to take notes to remember who is who, and who did what.This is a great American classic and should be read by book lovers of all genres. The great American author Studs Terkel states in the `other voices' section of this book: "You will meet in this astonishing novel, certainly one of the most original in years, madmen of every rank: Major Major Major, on whose unwilling frame the gold leaf is pinned because of his unfortunate resemblance to Henry Fonda; Doc Daneeka, who is declared dead despite his high temperature; Hungry Joe and his fistfights with Huple's cat; ex-pfc Wintergreen, who has more power than almost anybody." Enough said?
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2025
    One of my favorite books. I was in an Army hospital in 1966 when I first read Catch 22. One of the other patients who was told he was being discharged and returned to Korea, shot up the ward. I thought he was shooting a cap pistol until the MP showed me the empty .22 shells. I am reading Catch 22 again to remember how insane the Army can be.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2014
    It is a bizarre story staged in a small island of WWII Italy. We meet Yossarian, the veteran bombardier protagonist in a hospital where his imaginary liver pain causes an uncrackable puzzle to a bunch of incompetent army physicians. We also learn that, along with other officers, Yossarian is charged to censor the letters of the enlisted soldiers' to their loved ones. Yossarian first shows his rebellious nature by censoring the letters with the utmost irresponsibility. This act of his left me puzzled through the whole story - what was I missing? - To hide his mischief, he usually signs his reviews with the assumed name of Irwin Washington--except for one letter that he signs as his good friend, Chaplain Tappman. Toward the end of the book, the poor chaplain with his gentle soul gets into a whole lot of trouble because of this faked signature.

    From these humble beginnings, the plot takes on as the literary equivalent of "Family Guy;" an irreverent US animated sitcom series. The main conflict builds between Yossarian and his bombardment squadron leader, Col. Cathcart, because of increasing numbers of required missions. Although the colonel has the choice of requesting fresh crews, he wants to distinguish himself by the highest number of missions per crew in the entire Air Corps. It quickly becomes evident that Col. Cathcart doesn't have much more to impress his superiors with.

    Most chapters are methodically built around various characters who interact with Yossarian. Although this structure gives a sense of monotony and choppiness to the chapters, Heller manages to hold the story coherent with the help of the vibrant Yossarian and the powerful satirical narration. The third person omniscient narrator reveals the characters through their action and dialogues without having much access to their inner thoughts. Although the timeline stays in a relative narrow range between 1943 and 1944, the narrative advances out of sequence. Several events are told more than once from different perspectives. This structure requires alertness from the reader to piece the story together.

    One peculiar attribute of Heller's dialogues is an abundance of repetitive, circular repartees. Although initially this style felt original and witty, at times it became stilted due to overuse.

    Perhaps because of the almost cartoonish nature of the characters and events - at one point, e.g. Yossarian picks up his medal from General Dreedle completely naked since he is upset over the death of a comrade -, first I had hard time to identify with the story. As I moved on however, Yossarian's deep humanity, complete with both weaknesses and strengths, and the intrigues of the corrupt military leadership, drew me into the novel.

    Although the setting is strictly military, the story is loaded with allusions to everyday life with universal relevance. This is nowhere more evident than in the actions of Milo, the mess officer. He sets up a world-wide syndicate of comical complexity, exemplifying the worst of capitalistic excess and greed.

    The book has multiple compelling passages about the dangers of bombing missions. Among these, the most heart retching is the tragic fate of Snowden that keeps hunting Yossarian throughout the novel. Heller has undisputed authority describing the tension of bombing raids having served as a bombardier himself during WWII. Yet, for me the most gripping passage of the book happened not in an airplane. It was Yossarian's futile search for a lost child he wanted to rescue from the streets of war-stricken Rome. During this search, he encountered an impressive collection of the worst that war can bring forth from humanity including sadism and indifference.

    Finally, an obligatory remark on the title. Although in its original form the camp doctor Doc Daneeka refers to Catch-22 as a particular concept describing who can do and who does do combat missions, the circular nature of this logic appears in multiple situations throughout the story, when mindless arguments seem to justify mindless actions. In my paraphrasing, Catch-22 states that those who are crazy enough will fight in the wars even though they could be exempted from combat duties because they are crazy. Those who are not crazy and would want to get out of wars however are not allowed to leave the battle field since they have no mental illness for an excuse. If a crazy person changes his mind and asks for relief from duty, it means that he is not crazy anymore and thus he needs to continue the fight. So, at the end, there is no way out of war: everyone has to fight it. This is perhaps a simplified, perhaps even a pacifist concept of war, but it comes from someone who has personal experience of the devastation war brings. I wish people were listening to Joseph Heller.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2024
    One of the great American novels, period. I read it when I was in the Army in Germany, and my copy quickly traveled through the barracks. I recently bought the hard cover edition so I could read it again, and I think it has improved with age. Very funny and very true. I loved it.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2024
    A classic set during World War II and a great choice if you grok gallows humor in your horrors-of-war reading. Be prepared for hilarious yet nightmarish loops of bureaucratic nonsense that test man’s survival and will to do so. The book is one of relentless madness well told.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Bob
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, marvellous, outstanding (Review of the 50th Anniversary Edition)
    Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2021
    October, 1961. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s home-run record to start off the month; the Russians (who had constructed the Berlin Wall in August) gave it a big bang ending by exploding a 50 megaton hydrogen bomb and; for me personally, a couple of highlights were that between those events I turned 17, lost my virginity (best birthday present ever!), and I – for the grand sum of 10-dollars – bought my first car (a 1938 Dodge Brothers sedan). All that, of course, an unnecessary preamble to what was the truly celebratory occurrence of that month: The publication of Joseph Heller’s remarkable literary achievement, Catch-22!

    Now this is a novel that my 17-year-old self would not, I honestly suspect, have been at all interested in, but fully 60 years later I can find neither reason nor rationale why it took me so long to discover this wonderful, funny (yet at times almost heartbreaking) story. It is a tale of the dying days – dying is an important word here – of WWll and a cadre of characters that struggle in many different ways to hang-on, survive (and in some cases succeed) in what was assuredly an inconvenient and almost certainly an uncompromising environment.

    A lot of other reviewers will undoubtedly try to paint portraits of characters - the likes of Yossarian, Minderbinder, the twin Colonels Cathcart and Korn, and the rest, and I’ll gladly leave that to them, but I believe you deserve the honour, the privilege, of meeting and knowing them on your own. I will say this: Heller spent seven painstaking years to bring this extraordinary novel to fruition, and his efforts paid off brilliantly. If you’re like me, you will wrap this story around you like a warm blanket on a cold night and experience side-splitting laughter in one breath before being plunged into almost inconsolable sadness the next.

    And this book deserves to be read cover-to-cover, book ended as it is by Christopher Buckley’s telling Introduction, and “The Story Of Catch-22” plus a collection of nine terrific essay/reviews.
    Read it all. Revel in Heller’s masterful storytelling. I’m certain you’ll love this outstanding work of fiction (that maybe isn’t all that fictitious!)
  • Wolfie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Großartiger Kriegsroman; eine der phantasievollsten Satiren der Literaturgesdhichte
    Reviewed in Germany on November 25, 2023
    Ich habe mir diese neuere "Catch 22"-Ausgabe nur zugelegt, weil meine alte amerikanische Originalausgabe so zerfleddert ist, dass sie wohl beim nächsten Lesen auseinandergefallen wäre. Wegen Joseph Heller hätte ich mich beinahe total mit MRR überworfen (der wollte natürlich John Updike als Literaturnobelpreisträger), aber selbst das hat mir nie leidgetan. "Catch-22" ist für mich mit Abstand der beste Kriegsroman von etlichen, die ich kenne, und eine Satire in bester Tradition von Don Quixote bis zumindest Gulliver und Candide, nur dass der Held hier eben Yossarian heißt und im 20. Jahrhundert agiert. Und abgesehen davon, ist es Heller gelungen, mit seinem Begriff "Catch-22", für eine bestimmte existentielle Zirkelschluss-Situation, in die englische Alltagssprache einzugehen: Das hat kaum jemand sonst geschafft. Wer das Buch als junger Mensch studiert hat, steht lebenslang unter dem Einfluss dieses großartigen Romans.
  • No pads 😢
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality
    Reviewed in Saudi Arabia on July 27, 2024
    Good quality
  • Paul W.
    2.0 out of 5 stars low quality paper and bleeding ink
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on June 25, 2023
    More about the book itself than the story - the quality of the paper is low and the ink bleeds so the words aren't sharp. Buying this paperback is an advert for switching to an ereader.
  • Rafael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 4, 2021
    Not really impressed with the cover paper material but the book is really good.