A controversial author who almost caused a riot at his last book reading has been invited to complete his talk.

Andrew Malcolm made national headlines when staff at Borders bookshop in Oxford tried to stop his reading before calling police and having the Brighton author and his audience physically removed.

Now, in a triumph for free speech, he has been invited back to another branch of Borders, to finish the reading.

The 54-year-old philosopher will introduce his novel Making Names and talk about his book The Remedy, which charts his court case against Oxford University Press over the publishing of Making Names, at Borders' Charing Cross Road branch in London tomorrow at 7pm.

The rescheduled event follows a personal apology sent to Mr Malcolm by Borders bosses as a result of the events in Oxford.

The author, from Preston Park, Brighton, always knew his Oxford reading would be controversial as it detailed his legal battles with Oxford University Press.

So when it was cancelled, apparently due to slow sales of his books, he was determined to press ahead anyway.

Finding an audience had turned up after all, he started reading, only to be asked to leave amid scenes of uproar.

Eight officers eventually escorted him from the store.

One member of his audience called it "one of the most outrageous and disturbing scenes I have ever witnessed in this country and a monstrous violation of free speech".

Mr Malcolm said: "After the October event I wrote to Vin Altruda, president of Borders international operation.

"He sent his sincerest apologies. I was quite heartened by that."

Making Names charts the conversation of two strangers, a philosopher and a scientist, who meet in a near-miss car accident and spend the day debating the state of humanity.

It is available from Akme Publications priced £19.95. The Remedy is also available from Akme priced £16.95.