What was Holden Caulfield's first published story?

Holden Caulfield's first published story was “I'm Crazy.” J. D. Salinger published it in Collier's in December 1945, introducing readers to Holden as a troubled boarding-school student and first-person narrator.

The story closely anticipates the opening chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. Holden watches a football game from a hill, visits his history teacher Mr. Spencer after being expelled from Pencey Prep, and returns home to speak with his younger sister. Salinger later reworked much of this material for the 1951 novel.

A common mix-up is “Slight Rebellion off Madison,” which was written earlier and accepted by The New Yorker in 1941. Its publication was delayed until December 21, 1946, so it was not Holden's first story to appear in print. Another early story, “This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise,” mentions a Caulfield family member, but “I'm Crazy” is the first published story centered on Holden Caulfield himself.