From Library Journal
The aim of this four-volume set is to spotlight some 400 works that have been censored, banned, or condemned because of their political, social, religious, or sexual content. The entries, which include a summary, censorship history, and brief bibliography, range widely from Aristotle through Galileo and on up to Adolf Hitler and Judy Blume. Such well-known prohibited works as de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom, the Communist Manifesto, and Huckleberry Finn are included here, but so are many other works that are now less controversial, e.g., Milton's Areopagitica and Uncle Tom's Cabin. Some of the censorship histories are several pages long, but others are very short; Born on the Fourth of July gets only 50 words. Though most of the works are worth notice, too many describe fairly vapid objections: Fail-Safe was challenged by a school librarian who thought the book would undermine "America's confidence in their defense system." But as one might expect, many of the entries, such as the one for The Satanic Verses, are harrowing. Prepared by well-qualified scholars who have written and lectured extensively on censorship, the set is a very readable gathering of much useful information. It provides more depth and is more current than either Anne L. Haight's Banned Books (1978. 4th ed.) or ALA's Banned Books Resource Guide (1995). (Index not seen.)APeter A. Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mt. Pleasant, MICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Censorship of religious and philosophical speculation is as old as history and as current as today's headlines. Many of the world's major religious texts, including the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran, and others, have been suppressed, condemned, or proscribed at some time. Works of secular literature touching upon religious belief or reflecting dissenting views have also been suppressed. Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds profiles the censorship of many such essential works of civilization.

Works covered include: -- Acta Pauli-- The Advancement of Learning, Francis Bacon-- The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine-- The Analects, Confucius-- Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre-- The Book of Common Prayer, Thomas Cranmer-- Children of Gebelawi, Naguib Mahfouz-- Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant-- De Defenso Populi Anglicani, John Milton-- Discourse on Method, Rene Descartes-- Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra-- The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo-- The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis-- On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Charles Darwin-- Paradise Lost, John Milton-- Popol Vuh-- The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie-- Siddartha, Hermann Hesse-- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum-- A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Kathleen Beck

This title is one of four in a series on books challenged for political, social, erotic, and religious content. If the other three equal this one, the series is an exemplary work of reference indeed (see VOYA December 1998 for reviews of other titles in this series). The one hundred titles considered range from classics of philosophy and world literature (Spinoza, Cervantes) to religious texts (the Koran, the Christian Bible), from East (Confucius) to West (Dickens), from ancient (Aristotle) to modern (Salman Rushdie). Each entry includes general information, a summary of the work, a censorship history, and suggestions for further reading. A lucid preface outlines the history of and reasons for censorship on religious grounds. The entries, arranged alphabetically by title, are followed by quotations from the authors considered, biographical profiles, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Also included is a list of works from the other volumes in the series. Readers intending to look up a specific title will soon find themselves browsing the well-written selections, bemused by the intolerance shown, and impressed with the quality of the minds that have wrestled with religious questions. The history of censorship of the Bible in its various versions is an education in itself. Because of its specialized nature this title will probably not find its way into many school collections, but larger public libraries should consider purchasing the whole set. Patrons deserve access to this information and exposure to such careful scholarship and high-quality book making. Index. Biblio.

Library Journal

The aim of this four-volume set is to spotlight some 400 works that have been censored, banned, or condemned because of their political, social, religious, or sexual content. The entries, which include a summary, censorship history, and brief bibliography, range widely from Aristotle through Galileo and on up to Adolf Hitler and Judy Blume. Such well-known prohibited works as de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom, the Communist Manifesto, and Huckleberry Finn are included here, but so are many other works that are now less controversial, e.g., Milton's Areopagitica and Uncle Tom's Cabin. Some of the censorship histories are several pages long, but others are very short; Born on the Fourth of July gets only 50 words. Though most of the works are worth notice, too many describe fairly vapid objections: Fail-Safe was challenged by a school librarian who thought the book would undermine "America's confidence in their defense system." But as one might expect, many of the entries, such as the one for The Satanic Verses, are harrowing. Prepared by well-qualified scholars who have written and lectured extensively on censorship, the set is a very readable gathering of much useful information. It provides more depth and is more current than either Anne L. Haight's Banned Books (1978. 4th ed.) or ALA's Banned Books Resource Guide (1995). (Index not seen.)Peter A. Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mt. Pleasant, MI

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