An "indecent” book banned in 1971 has been seized from a Wellington bookstore by government officials.

Bloody Mama by Robert Thom has been listed for sale on Book Haven's website for $8.50 since February, store owner Don Hollander said.

"It got seized today. A very nice chap from the DIA [Department of Internal Affairs] with a fancy badge came by.”

The book is based on a true story about Kate "Ma" Barker who raised her sons to be criminals in the 1930s.

"I had a quick look through for the dirty bits or the nasty bits and it didn't see any,” Mr Hollander said.

The book was deemed indecent and banned by the now defunct Indecent Publications Tribunal 40 years ago, however the ruling still stands. The tribunal was replaced by the Office of Film and Literature Classification in 1993.

The office received an inquiry about whether Bloody Mama was banned, the office's advisor Michelle Baker said.

The person who made the inquiry then contacted the DIA about the location of the book.

An application for the Chief Censor to reclassify the book is yet to be received, Ms Baker said.

A film was also made about Ma Barker starring Shelley Winters and a young Robert de Niro. 

According to the Office of Film and Literature Classification website the movie was banned in 1977 as it was deemed objectionable but was reclassified in 1981 as R16.

The first edition paperback copy of Bloody Mama published by New English Library had a New Zealand cover price of 75 cents but it was never allowed to be sold in New Zealand.

"The idea that any book is banned quite bothers me because I think it's wrong, Mr Hollander said.

"There are some books that are awfully bad and you sort of understand but just that concept of banning a book [it's the] state's invasion of the sharing of thoughts and ideas and just goes against my grain.”

A person can be fined up to $50,000 or sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison if they possess a banned book under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993.

An organisation can be fined up to $200,000 for distributing a banned book and an individual can be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison.

There are 1319 books banned in New Zealand and a further 728 restricted in some way.

Decisions on more than two-thirds of the restricted or banned books were made before 1987.

Book Haven is New Zealand's largest secondhand online book store with 57,000 books in its catalogue.

- The Dominion Post

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