After initially putting the first chapter of fired CBS producer Mary Mapes's book, Truth and Duty, on its web site, Amazon.com has apparently pulled the plug on the enterprise. Visitors to the online book retailer can no longer read the excerpt as it no longer shows up in listings for the print or audio versions of the book.

Was the excerpt yanked because of the several objectively incorrect assertions it contained, and the subsequent blog firestorm their exposition caused? Only Amazon or Mapes's publisher, St. Martin’s Press knows for sure.

To read an extensive excerpt from the book as quoted on NewsBusters, click here

UPDATE 10-06 11:05: Oddly enough, Amazon.com has now removed the print version of the book from its site entirely. This got me wondering what happened so I called and was told by a sales rep: "If it's not available from a publisher, then we pull it from the web site. The only version we're apparently going to have is the abridged audio version." Strangely, Barnes & Noble still has the hardcover available. Sounds like someone got too happy pushing the "Delete" key.

Hat tip P.J. Gladnick of DUmmie FUnnies.