legal names

[Joseph Daniel <jdaniel@aristotle.net>]

Several recent posts have made me wonder about what sort of publication is
acceptable for a species name to be considered valid. I was under the impression
before that a name had to be published in a peer reviewed journal with a
description of the animal in question before the name held any priority.
Apparently, if names that are in self-published manuscripts or mentioned in
popular magazines without proper description can be regarded as possibly valid,
this is not the case.
So what are the rules governing this and where can I get a copy of the ICZN 
rules?

Thanks
Joe Daniel