This is the book that made life difficult for biographers. Not that Ian Hamilton intended to do so. But his use of Salinger's letters became the tipping point for the reclusive author, who sued the biographer. In an unfortunate ruling Harold Baer virtually destroyed the idea of fair use for unpublished writing. Congress has since rectified the judge's decision but not before that decision had a chilling impact on the publishing industry. Hamilton turns his thwarted book into a kind of Search for Corvo, which is a clever biography but also an example of a desperate biographer who discovers he does not have enough reliable data. Hamilton's book is not in the same league as Search for Corvo, but you learn a good deal about the nature of biography and something as well about J. D. Salinger. Harold Baer, by the way, is at it again--this time making it difficult for authors who are scanned by Google. Is someone out there writing a book about Harold Baer's worst decisions? ( )

A book that should never have been bothered to be written. What a waste. ( )