Bettie Page: Lost and Found
In 1987, I began my search for the missing Pin-up Queen. For the next seven years I tracked down the people who knew her and eventually Bettie herself. The culmination was an extensive Page interview in "The Betty Pages Annual V.2" and there didn't seem to be anything more to tell on the subject, so I discontinued the title. Bettie's legend continued to grow and her fame reached all corners of the Earth. Even though I stopped writing about her, our relationship continued and we spoke often. Almost all of our conversations were recorded (with her permission) and I have hours of her observations about life and her new-found fame. I also stayed in touch with most of the major players in the story and continued to discover details I'd missed the first time around. Almost thirty years after I started, I'm satisfied that the research is complete and I am about to write my final book on the Queen of Curves. With the death of Harry Lear, her last husband, nothing I write can hurt Bettie and her friends: they have all passed. There are stories that I had discovered while I was publishing "The Betty Pages" that I refused to tell and stories I've learned since then that are eye-opening. Since nobody can be hurt, I'm ready to tell the full story.
It's been some twenty years since I've written about Bettie and also twenty years of her life that has not been reported on. What happened to La Page after she came out of hiding? What was her life like? How did it change her? Who helped her or screwed her over in the end? It's the other half of the Bettie story that you don't know.
At least half the book is already written and I estimate that it will take another six months to complete and publish. As I am producing it for my publishing company, Pure Imagination, I am receiving no advance to complete the book. Hence, I'm asking for your help to pay the bills while I complete the project, most importantly paying for the printing. "Bettie Page: Lost and Found" will be issued in both deluxe hard and soft-covers and I'd like to issue it in full-color, but that depends on how much the Bettie fans are willing to contribute. If you would like to help me complete Bettie's story, please consider assisting its production.
Anybody contributing at the $30 level or more will receive a copy of the soft-cover edition whether the goal is met or not and all contributors will receive a signed, limited-edition of the cover. If the goal isn't met, it may take a little longer, but the book is going to be published one way or another. If you can help get the word out I will very much appreciate it.
The final product will contain dozens of previously unpublished photos, new interviews, and the most complete view of Bettie's life ever published. If you liked my previous work on "The Tease From Tennessee," please consider contributing to what I believe is a worthwhile project that will amuse, amaze, and delight you.
