[onli]

I disagree, those aren't relevant factors. Just based on those facts it's possible there was one sponsor in France who published the book and then it bombed, never to be read by a significant amount of the public. That it wasn't banned is normal in a free society, but also says nothing about its popularity.

[mmooss]

Anything is possible, but the facts make some things more likely, especially combined with the book's later popularity in France.