In February 1998, Rupert Murdoch instructed his British book publisher, HarperCollins, not to publish a book by Chris (now Lord) Patten.
That fascinating bit of history, which Murdoch tried to shrug off during New Corp's takeover of Dow Jones in 2007, was retold by Patten to the Leveson inquiry on Monday.
He explained that his book about his experiences as Britain's last governor of Hong Kong contained material critical of the Chinese authorities at a time when Murdoch was hoping to expand in China.
Patten told Leveson: "Plainly, Mr Murdoch took the view that publishing a book critical of the Chinese leadership would not improve his chances, so he instructed HarperCollins to drop the book on the grounds that it was no good."
It was, said Patten, a commercial decision. And it transpired that it was a commercial success for both men.
Patten got his £50,000 advance from HarperCollins and when the book was published in America by another company it was promoted with a sticker on the front saying: "The book that Rupert Murdoch refused to publish".
So, said Patten, "it was worth tens of thousands on the sales of the book."
Read more at The Guardian
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