Bear Market: Price of Scooter Libby's Novel Soars at Amazon

By: E&P Staff Who says alleged crime doesn?t pay? I. Lewis ?Scooter? Libby may or may not get a nice book sale out of his upcoming trial, but owners of out-pf-print or autographed versions of his sole novel, ?The Apprentice,? are looking to make a bundle right now.

Since the book, which is set in Japan and features some bizarre sex practices, is out of print, amazon.com is not selling it via the usual channels, but instead offering it for sale from individuals. Some are peddling paperback copies of the 2002 novel for $119 and up, while the hardback (from 1996) is fetching a minimum of $745.

One seller, with the apt name ?Ameribiz,? seeks $2400 for an edition he describes this way: ?Inscribed, mint, PRE-FIRST EDITION. The bound 1996 uncorrected page proofs in Brand New MINT condition with inscription handwritten by Libby, himself. Inscription reads: 'To Bob. I hope you enjoy it. Lewis Libby.' A perfect gift for the ?Bob? who has everything.?

Let speculation begin on who the original Bob might be. Novak? Woodward?

A seller at barnesandnoble.com, named "Igor," wants $1039 for his copy of the hardback edition.

One recent citizen-reviewer at Amazon wrote: ?I paid $4 plus surface-mail shipping, but the price has skyrocketed since Libby was indicted on five counts by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, and resigned from Vice President Cheney's office. Gee, lucky me.?

Another called "The Apprentice" a ?solid book. I thoroughly enjoyed Libby's first novel. Now that he's out of politics (unfortunately) I hope he continues to write!?

The Libby book conjures a young Japanese man who runs a remote mountain inn and becomes trapped in intrigue. The book includes incest, a hunter who wonders if he should shag a freshly killed deer while it's still warm, and a girl kept in a cage and raped by a bear to train her to become a prostitute.

Another review excerpt: ?This otherwise played-out story had bear rape. As a bear raper I can say that the idea of turning the tables was quite erotic. But then there was no more animal rape? what?s up with that??

And one more: ?It's probably not fair to rate Scooter's masterpiece without reading it first. It's on my to-do list, after reading his forthcoming book, rumored to be titled ?Diary of a Jailhouse Snitch.?"