scenes. "I wrote only two sexy passages," she remarked, "and my publishers took both of them out. They put in ellipses instead. In those days, you know, you could solve everything with an ellipsis." Despite its banning, Forever Amber was the best-selling US novel of the 1940s. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first week of release, and went on to sell over three million copies. Forever Amber was also responsible for popularizing "Amber" as a given name for girls in the 20th century. The novel was quite popular with the personnel of the USS Astoria in the Second World War, with a copy circulating through the crew. The book was condemned by the Catholic Church for indecency, which helped its popularity. One critic went so far as to number each of the passages to which he objected. A film adaptation by 20th Century Fox was finally completed after substantial changes to the script were made, toning down some of the book's most objectionable passages in order to appease Catholic media critics. The book was banned in August 1945 in Australia. The Minister for Customs, Senator Richard Keane, said "The Almighty did not give people eyes to read that rubbish." Cultural references Amber St. Clair appears as a historical character in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as a member of the first incarnation of the League in the 17th century, Prospero's Men. Captain Beefheart references Forever Amber in the lyrics of the song "Pachuco Cadaver" on the album Trout Mask Replica. References External links Guardian Unlimited book review of Forever Amber by Elaine Showalter, August 2002. 1944 American novels American novels adapted into films American historical novels American romance novels Novels set in the 1640s Novels set in the 1660s Novels set during the English Civil War Novels set in London Obscenity controversies in literature Cultural depictions of Charles II of England Cultural depictions of Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland Cultural depictions of Nell Gwyn Cultural depictions of Catherine of Braganza ja:永遠のアンバー