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We hear from a scout (remember what those are?) that the Borat book sold at auction, with the Bruno book, for a cool $4 million, but the agency (Trident) won't say to whom. This isn't particularly fishy: sometimes deals aren't announced for weeks (or even months) for strategic or making-them-think-we-have-a-strategy reasons. But this particular bout of tight lippedness makes us think twice, in part because of a suspicion an agent planted in our heads. We thought he was totally crazypants at the time — and still kind of do — when he responded to our post about the book's putative megadeal with a cryptic email: "check Rush&Molloy of Nov. 1st." But we did as we were told:

Pssst. Correspondent Borat Sagdiyev has too-sexy photos of his Kazakh countrywomen to show public Americans in book. But New York publishing czars worry supermarket won't let in barenaked ladies. Translation: Comic Sacha Baron Cohen, whose movie, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," opens Friday, wants to write a book based on his pants- wettingly offensive character. But publishers fear that Wal-Mart and other chains won't sell it.

Anyone out there with any clue what actually went down here? Not being in the loop makes us feel sad face.

Borat Book Could Be Too Hot to Handle [NYDN]
Earlier: Publisher's Marketplace to Eventually Report Borat Book Selling in a Niiiiiiiice Deal?