Lyons Press Picks up Ill-Fated Mickey Mantle Novel

By Carmen 

Remember 7, by Peter Golenblock? The book that was the alleged last straw breaking Judith Regan’s career at HarperCollins? Well, the New York Times’ sports section reports the book has found a new home with the Lyons Press*. “It’s one of those books that a lot of people will love, but some won’t,” Golenbock said to the paper yesterday. He said that Lyons did not edit the book or alter the sex scenes in it, one of which involves Mantle and Marilyn Monroe. “The only change was from ‘Regan’ to ‘Lyons,'” he said.

Gene Brissie, associate publisher of Lyons, said he and other editors read ‘7’ soon after HarperCollins canceled it. “Making the decision to publish it and let readers make up their own mind was easy,” said Brissie, whose uncle is the former major league pitcher Lou Brissie. “I think all the negative publicity came from people who haven’t read it.” Well, um, yeah

*Oddly, the Regan listing is still up on Amazon.