Robert Gottlieb

The publication of Catch-22 shows how editorial commitment can extend beyond reading a manuscript. Gottlieb championed Joseph Heller's novel and worked on its route to readers, with colleagues including Nina Bourne contributing to that effort. Its change from the working title Catch-18 is one small, memorable part of a longer process. The interesting question is how an editor sustains belief in a difficult book while helping its author make concrete decisions about its passage into print.