Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, and more recently, Slaughterhouse Five.

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In the letters, Chapman repeatedly tells Spiro to read "The Catcher in the Rye, " saying the book would explain much of what happened the night of the murder, December 8, 1980.

CNN: Letters from John Lennon's killer to be sold

If you think the rest of the world is interested in hearing about your collection of Ottoman porcelain or why "The Catcher in the Rye" is the great American novel (yawn) you really do need an ego the size of a house.

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In the first letter, from Jan. 15, 1983, Chapman says his reason for writing, besides wanting to be Spiro's friend, is to ask for help in locating his copy of "The Catcher in The Rye, " which he was reading at the time of his arrest.

WSJ: Letters from Lennon killer to NY cop on sale in LA

In one letter, Chapman said he'd let Spiro decide whether Lennon was a "phony" or not, a reference to troubled "Catcher in the Rye" narrator Holden Caulfield, who refers to people as "phonies" in the book, written by J.

WSJ: Letters from Lennon killer to NY cop on sale in LA

Catcher in the Rye is widely recognized as one of the finest novels of the 20th Century.

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