>Although still depicted as "burning" this book can be purchased anywhere in the West, can't it? Could make a very interesting read in light of the last year-and-a-bit's events.

I just looked it up on amazon.co.uk. I remember the huge fuss, death threats etc against Penguin Books (I think) who were going to publish the paperback. As far as I can see it was never published - to this day, the only paperback available in the UK is the US edition. Less a government ban (as Milo implies it was not banned here) but certainly a challenge to the lives of those who dared to publish it or sell it - demonstrable when the Norweigan publisherwas injured in 1993. I suspect that the publishers took the understandable decision not to join Salman Rushdie in hiding for ten years (at huge government expense).