They say nothing in life is free and that is certainly true if you are thinking about obtaining a copy of the 95-page Offshore Financial Services Databook 2007, which will set you back a princely $4,585.

For that you can read up on Bermuda (two pages) and find out what 10 other key offshore centres are up to. However, the book does not include any data analysis, it is simply a databook.

At $4,585 per book, that works out at just over $48 a page. However, the more financially savvy can save themselves $90 by ordering the book in its electronic format from Research and Markets.

The databook provides data and figures on 11 global offshore centres, including Dublin, the Caymans, and the Bahamas and looks at the size and structure of those centres in terms of deposits, mutual funds and insurance between 2002 and 2006.

The publication reveals that Cayman Islands is the largest offshore centre for deposits, while the offshore mutual fund market is focused on Luxembourg.

As for reasons to purchase, Research and Markets states the book: "Provides the key pieces of data for the largest global offshore centres, with full methodology and sourcing is provided to allow full data transparency."

Go to www.researchandmarkets.com to place an order.