Simon & Schuster acquired publishing rights to David Shields and Shane Salerno's "The Private War of J.D. Salinger," which they will publish September 2013

"The Private War of J.D. Salinger" by David Shields and Shane Salerno has been touted as the most awaited book in recent years. It has been in the making for eight years now and is said to contain interviews with more than 150 people who either worked with author J.D. Salinger or had a personal relationship with the author. Most of these sources were also influenced by his works.

This book has been much speculated about since Newsweek did a story on it in 2010 titled, "Salinger Like You've Never Seen Him," which talks about the making of the book. There has been a lot of security around this project and Simon & Schuster gained world publishing rights for the book after striking a deal with co-author Shane Salerno.

Salinger is best known for his book "The Catcher in the Rye," which sold more than 120 million copies worldwide.

"We are honored to be the publisher of what we believe will be the foundational book on one of the most beloved and most puzzling figures of the twentieth century," said publisher Jonathan Karp. "Many of us who read The Catcher in the Rye have, at some point in our lives, wished we could know the author better. Now, we finally can."

Senior editor Jofie Ferrari-Adler will edit the book.

"Both the film and book are an investigation into the cost of art and the cost of war. This is a truly revelatory work, and one that transcends literary biography to investigate the larger story of the legacy of World War II. Through the prism of Salinger's life and his experience at war, the authors are presenting a personal history of the twentieth century," he said.

The book will be published this September and the publishing house has announced that it will be selling the book's international rights at the London Book Fair in April.