In 1983, a publisher from Jefferson called Signum Books Ltd. released a 330-page book titled "HA-HA-HA." The cover features a drawing of a man in a suit holding a briefcase while parachuting from a commercial jetliner. The back cover features a graphic of a certificate announcing a contest called "Your Big Score." The certificate's first sentence reads: "It's true. In this book are seven clues. By reading it carefully and discovering the clues, one could receive as much as $200,000 in twenty dollar bills."

The book's author is D.B. Cooper.

As every sentient Pacific Northwesterner knows, on Nov. 24, 1971, a man who gave his name as Dan Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 from Portland to Seattle, extorted $200,000 from authorities, had the jet refueled, and then somewhere between Seattle and Reno, jumped out of the plane with a parachute. His body was never found nor was an arrest ever made. In the subsequent 40 years, D.B. Cooper has gone on to become, alongside Bigfoot, the greatest legend in Pacific Northwest history.

Not only could Cooper successfully hijack a plane and elude the FBI, he also was (is?) an excellent writer. "HA-HA-HA" is a lively, often hilarious memoir that recounts his hard-luck life before the hijacking (failed real estate developer, boozer, petty thief), describes in serious detail what really happened that night (he smoked Raleigh cigarettes to deflect suspicion), how he made his escape (he rented a house and gassed up a vehicle not far from where he landed near Pyramid Lake), and how he shrewdly invested the ransom money (in Boeing and silver!) and became very wealthy. He may yet be alive and reading this.

Besides writing well, Cooper also seems to have invented a new literary genre: a cryptic-yet-lucrative contest within a book written by a criminal mastermind who practically dares the law to locate him. Unfortunately, finding this Lost Northwest book is about as easy as finding D.B. Cooper. A recent search on the most comprehensive used/rare book site turned up only three copies for sale, each for around $30. I have never seen the book in a library.

"HA-HA-HA" originally sold for $3.95. I bought mine for $6 at a used bookstore in Lincoln City a decade ago and never bothered to read it until the recent release of the latest D.B. Cooper book, "Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper" by Geoffrey Gray, and the revelation that the FBI had a new lead in the case. As it turned out, the lead went nowhere and the mystery remains, which raises the question: Did Gray and all the other D.B. Cooper buffs bother to read "HA-HA-HA"? I doubt they knew of its existence.

Wouldn't it be something if D.B. Cooper did write this superb book and the Big Score was (is) for real? What better ingenious way to throw off the FBI? Tell everyone what happened and everyone thinks you're a nut. And then to top it off, stage a contest!

Whoever owned "HA-HA-HA" before me made an active effort to discover the clues and left behind outstanding notes. Is $200,000 just sitting somewhere in a safety deposit box or storage facility?

Clue No. 1, on Page 25: The Phoenix Sun.

If you want to learn more clues, be sure to attend "DB Cooper Night" sponsored by orhistory.com at Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi Ave., at 7:30 tonight. I'll be there, along with Katy Barber, an assistant professor at Portland State University, and Doug Kenck-Crispin.

Matt Love is the author/editor of seven books about Oregon, including his latest book, "Love & the Green Lady," about the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

He can be reached at lovematt100@yahoo.com.