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New Book Critical Of Trump White House Flies Off Shelves

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- President Trump's personal legal team is threatening libel charges as it tries to stop the release of a new explosive book that depicts Mr. Trump as unfit for office.

Meantime, author Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury, Inside the Trump White House," is hard to come by at local bookstores.

At the Joseph Fox Bookshop near 17th and Sansom Streets, book seller Rebecca Kelly was aware that the publication was moved up four days from the original release date, because of demand.

"People popped their head in the door to ask 'do you have the new Michael Wolff?' 'Yes,' I told them, 'we're trying to get it in,'" said Kelly.

The Bookshop is partnering with the Free Library of Philadelphia to host the author on January 16th, by which time she says there will be plenty to go around for the book signing.

Rebecca Kelly Trump Book Fire and Fury
Book seller Rebecca Kelly at Joseph Fox Bookshop. (credit: Steve Tawa)

Around the corner at the Rittenhouse Barnes and Noble, book seller Kris was on the phone with a customer, giving the bad news.

"We just sold out of the last copy. Hopefully, we'll be getting more in later today or early next week," he said.

That outlet only received an initial 33 copies.

"We got them at 9:30, and we sold out by 10:20," Kris explained.

Mike, who describes himself as "part of the resistance against Trump," was among those turned away. He recalls former President Nixon also tried to stop publication of the Pentagon Papers, which chronicled US entanglements in Vietnam.

"I've been tracking the comparisons between Nixon and Trump. The one big difference, with social media, is that you have instant access to information," he said.

We asked another buyer in wait, David, who he thinks is going to read the thing.

"I think the 70%. The non 30% of the base of Trump," he said.

Also turned away, Lawrence Rich, who wants his 19-year-old daughter to read it as well.

"Just how completely crazy Donald Trump is. He's just not fit to be President of the United States," said Rich.

While the White House dismisses it as "full of lies and tabloid trash," "Fire and Fury" quickly jumped to number one on Amazon's Best-Seller list.

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