NEW YORK (AP) – Author J.D. Salinger has sued an anonymous author whose new book has been described as a sequel to Salinger’s famous book, “The Catcher in the Rye.”

Lawyers for Salinger filed the lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan on Monday.

The lawsuit seeks to force a recall of what it says is a copycat book titled “60 Years Later” by a “John Doe” author writing under the name “John David California.” It also seeks unspecified damages.

The lawsuit said the right to create a sequel to “The Catcher in the Rye” or to use the character “Holden Caufield” belongs only to Salinger. The lawsuit says Salinger has “decidedly chosen not to exercise that right.”

A message for comment left with the book’s distributor was not immediately returned.

AP-ES-06-01-09 1639EDT