Libby Not Likely to Object to Reissue of His Novel

Publisher to reissue I. Lewis Libby’s novel:

NEW YORK — The indictment of I. Lewis Libby has had one unintended benefit for the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney: The resurrection of his once forgotten literary career.

Used copies of his 1996 novel, “The Apprentice,” a thriller set in Japan that includes references to bestiality, pedophilia and rape, have been offered for as high as $2,400 on Amazon.com. Now, publisher St. Martin’s Press has decided to bring the book back into print, announcing a new run of 25,000 copies.

“There has been an overwhelming response from the marketplace and from booksellers who want this book,” Sean Desmond, a senior editor at the St. Martin’s imprint, Thomas Dunne Books, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Desmond acknowledged that he had not alerted Libby or any representative about the reprinting, but said the publisher was legally entitled to do so. Asked if he would still reissue the book should Libby object, he declined comment.

…

Interest in Libby’s book mirrors curiosity about another novel by someone close to Cheney: Lynne Cheney, the vice president’s wife and author of “Sisters.” Published in 1981, “Sisters” is a historical romance that features brothels, attempted rapes and a lesbian love affair. The book sold little when first released but became a cult item after Dick Cheney was elected vice president, in 2000.

New American Library, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), was going to reprint “Sisters” last year, but stopped after receiving a call from Lynne Cheney’s attorney, Robert Barnett, who said at the time that she had only learned about the reissue from the media.

Libby, unlike his boss’s wife (boss-in-law?), is under indictment, and has just created a legal defense fund. Why would he object? He’s probably busy signing his old author’s copies and putting them on E-bay.

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