Amazon pulls book on pedophilia after complaints

Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:27pm EST

(Repeats to additional subscribers with no changes in text) (Adds quote from Facebook protester)

ATLANTA Nov 11 (Reuters Life) - Amazon has pulled an electronic book about pedophilia from its online store after complaints and a boycott threat, according to media reports on Thursday.

The book, "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover's Code of Conduct," by Philip R. Greaves II, went on sale on Oct. 28 and cost $4.79 to download, the reports said.

Amazon initially defended the book's publication in a statement but later withdrew it from its online store after a campaign against it spread on Twitter, Facebook and other media.

Protesters circulated a message through social networking sites that said: "Protect Children. Boycott Amazon."

Colleen Curtis, a mother who works as a director of sales and marketing for a mutual fund company in Mississauga, Canada, circulated the protest message to her friends on Facebook. Pedophilia is a crime, not a sexual preference and should not be covered by freedom of speech, she told Reuters by email.

"I am morally and ethically disgusted by the content and by Amazon's poor judgment and complete lack of remorse at making this information available to the public," she said."

The book title appeared on the company's website on Thursday but a subsequent message read: "We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site."

There was no immediate comment on the reports from Amazon, which is based in Seattle, despite repeated requests by Reuters. (Reporting by Matthew Bigg; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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Comments (3)
MattOKC wrote:
I am just as concerned, though, that Amazon also sells pro-rape pornography by Olympia Press (every publication of theirs is pro-rape porn; it’s their niche market). By “pro-rape porn,” I mean exactly what it sounds like: pornography premised around perpetrating rape as a form of amusement. In fact, when I type in the word “rape” in the Books category (*I am a social worker who works in the field of rape prevention/recovery), these pro-rape products are given HIGHER result status than the (responsible) books on recovery from sexual assault that actually sell better. This is bizarre; the pro-rape books hardly sell at all (they’re consistently below one-millionth in sales ranks), yet Amazon grants them superior position in its search results! This would seem to suggest that Amazon selectively promotes those books over the titles that discuss issues like rape prevention, treatment, recovery, etc. Not only is Amazon selling pro-rape products by Olympia Press, but helps market them by awarding them higher standing than their sales merit. Amazon has set a precedent for removal of other books, shirts, video games, DVDs, and magazines that promote sexual abuse but will not remove these as well.

Nov 11, 2010 5:06pm EST  --  Report as abuse
bucks12965 wrote:
Thank you for sharing this info. I already told Amazon I will never visit them, or buy from them again, and your post confirms I made the right decision.

Nov 11, 2010 6:49pm EST  --  Report as abuse
BinRI wrote:
Deplorable. Does Amazon also sell books that demonstrate how to make bombs, induce terrorism, kill people, etc? These are all dangerous subjects, and it is highly irresponsible of anyone who assists in making this information available to people wanting to carry out, even fantasize about, these acts. A book on how to rape children, and how its OK to do so??? Come on Amazon… common sense has clearly left the building. Do not hide behind the Freedom of Speech right, because you have done nothing but identify yourself as a dangerous company. You have contributed to the potential danger my son, and every child in this world, faces. And your sickening silence on this matter is deafening.

Nov 12, 2010 4:13pm EST  --  Report as abuse
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