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Tony Blair''s long-awaited memoir says the former prime minister doesn''t regret the Iraq war - although he wept for the victims.

The book A Journey is stirring political passions as it appears in book shops Wednesday.

The decision to go to war remains Blair''s most divisive legacy. In excerpts from the book released by the publisher, Blair says "I ... regret with every fibre of my being the loss of those who died."

Blair also reopens domestic political wounds, saying he found his rival and successor Gordon Brown difficult and maddening.

British booksellers are reporting heavy interest in the book, for which Blair was paid an estimated 4.6 million pounds (US$7.5 million). He''s donating the proceeds to a charity for injured troops.