First Edition Copy of The Scandal of Scientology

This first edition of The Scandal of Scientology, a Tower Book, was written by Paulette Cooper and was released to the public in 1971. It goes much more in depth than the story the author wrote of the same name, that was printed in Queen Magazine in the UK. This book sold about 154,000 copies, but now it is really hard to find a copy anywhere because of the majority of copies being bought and destroyed. And, if you do find a copy you will pay much much more than the original price of $.95.

I bought this copy from Abebooks a few years ago. The picture of the book that the seller put up, even though what people are looking for are first editions on the website, was the book with the banner that says, "The Book that Scientology tried to stop!". That banner was not placed on the first printing of this book, it was placed there with the later printings. But, the price the seller wanted was really low, much much lower than what people usually ask for when selling a copy of this book. And most copies for sale are not the super rare first edition, they are later printings and most were found at book sales from libraries. Those books have the library card pockets in them and may also have had writing.

I had looked for this book here and there over the past 8 or 9 years just in case I found one in my price range with no luck until I found this one on Abes. So, I bought the book from the seller with the knowledge that the picture of the book had the banner, which told me that it was not a first edition and I was OK with that.

When I got the book, I was suprised to see it really was the super rare first edition. It was also in really great shape, the book looks brand new and the only thing that tells of the book's true age are the yellowed pages. The one time I opened it a little bit after I got it was to look at the page that shows the printing information, and I let the cover close right back up after. I then put the book in plastic and put it behind glass. It has been opened one other time years later by someone, and that was by the author herself when she signed this book for me. She verified that this is a first edition as well.

It took me a while to ask the author if she would sign my copy, when I did she said yes. She asked me how I wanted her to sign, and I told her that Tony Ortega has it right. He came out with a book about Paulette Cooper last year, called The Unbreakable Miss Lovely. It is the story of what happened to Mrs. Cooper-Noble after the release of this book. I asked her to sign my copy of her book that way, she really is a lovely woman inside and out. And the fact that she came through being falsely implicated as a terrorist, only vindicated because of the raid from the FBI in July 1977, and came out whole is amazing. She endured that and more, she found out that people who said they were her friends were actually plants that reported her every move to those that falsely said she was a terrorist. She came through all of that and went on to write more books and has been happily married since.

With the book back safely, signed by the author, it has been wrapped and placed back behind glass in one of my curio cabinets.