The Satanic Verses Collection

A set of items relating to one of the most controversial books from the last century, The Satanic Verses.

• Sold as a set of 4 items.
• Salman Rushdie (British).
• Includes Rushdie’s own signed and annotated photostat transcript, proof, signed booker/first edition with Whitbread Band, and signed first edition in the rare purple dust wrapper

Transcript of the novel:

• Photo-stat copies of typed pages and with signed cover page: 'To Dora Foschi/with my very best/wishes/Salman Rushdie.'
• London: Wylie, Aitken & Stone Literary Agents, London, 1988.
• Pre-publication, literary agent’s US and UK details to the title page.
• The work is a 616 A4 page photocopy of Rushdie’s original typescript, with the author’s multiple manuscript revisions and corrections.
• Signed to the final page.
• The transcript is stored in a custom made black card box.

The Satanic Verses Proof:

• No title page.

2 first Trade editions:

• First trade edition in the purple variant dust wrapper with £12.95 as the pre-publication price.
• The book has been signed by Rushdie.
• Blue wrappered trade edition with Whitbread wrap-around band and signed to the Booker shortlist label on the front endpaper.

A rare set of items. The British publication of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses in 1988 sparked a global controversy and ignited debates on freedom of expression and religious sensitivities. The novel explores themes of identity and religion through a magical realist lens. Its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad led to protests, fatwas, and death threats from some Muslim leaders. The British government supported Rushdie’s right to free speech, but the bookstores faced bomb threats, and its publication triggered a heated international discourse. The “Rushdie Affair” remains a significant chapter in the ongoing discussion of religious tolerance, censorship, and artistic expression.