All the books discussed in this piece are relevant to Great Britain and Europe. But very few of them are published here. Despite being one of our most significant historians, David Selbourne could not find a publisher for his latest book in the UK. Despite her highly acclaimed previous books, and a position as one of our foremost commentators, Melanie Phillips found it impossible for several years to find a British publisher willing to take her latest book, only finding a small new press after the book was scheduled in America. Oriana Fallaci has a distributor, but no UK notices, reviews or, visible distribution for this translation of her last but one book. Neither Bawer nor Berlinski’s books – about the urgent need for Europe to wake up to the threat within – have been published on the continent under discussion.
Which suggests that there are problems. The first is the now undeniable issue of pusillanimity in British publishing (Selbourne wrote an important article about this in the Sunday Times before his dense book came out in America). Of course there is some sense in the cowardice. Since the Rushdie affair, publishers have – like newspaper editors – made a not-too secret recognition. They know that publishing novels claiming that Christ was Mary Magdalene’s lover pull in “good-controversial” publicity. But they also realise that the “all publicity is good publicity” mantra doesn’t extend to the moment when you find the girl from the typing pool with an Allah-gram pinned into her chest because the messenger couldn’t reach the editors.
Douglas Murray reviews recent books on Islam in Europe
