The Catcher in the Rye was partly published in serial form in 1945–1946.
Before the novel appeared in book form, Salinger published stories featuring Holden Caulfield and related material in American magazines. “I’m Crazy,” which contains material later incorporated into the novel, appeared in Collier’s in December 1945. “Slight Rebellion off Madison,” another Holden story, was published by The New Yorker in December 1946 after wartime delays.
The serial appearances were not the complete novel in its final form. They were magazine stories or excerpts that Salinger later reshaped while developing the book. A longer Holden manuscript was also accepted by The New Yorker in 1946 but was later withdrawn when Salinger decided the material needed to become a novel.
The completed book was published in 1951. That gap explains a common mix-up: 1945–46 marks the novel’s partial magazine publication, while 1951 marks the first publication of the finished novel.