Boyer, P. S. (2002). Purity in print: Book censorship in America from the gilded age to the computer age, 2nd edition. Madison, WS: University of Wisconsin Press.
LC Call number: KF4775. B6. 2002
Annotation:
Censorship is a battle waged for as long as there has been expression, and the strength has shifted sides, as has public opinion on the matter. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the history of censorship during the stated period, including the major players, court cases, and often the national feelings of the time, discussing the shifting attitudes towards censorship, and to a small degree the role librarians played. He places this within a "framework that includes cultural, political, social, and even technological components (pxiii)." This is an expanded second edition, updating the 1968 edition initially penned by the author for his doctoral thesis, and is updated to include more contemporary court cases and broadens from print to radio, television, and internet issues.
And a little more in depth:
As obvious from the title, the book covers quite in depth some of the major forces of censorship in the described period. Beginning with the Vice Societies of the Nineteenth Century, it follows the influence of Anthony Comstock who took a personal stake in all matters moral. It discusses how “immoral” books were thought to influence the weak mind and turn it away from the lofty goals of spirit. The Progressive Era fed this need for morality, encouraging censorship and forced ideals. Some censorship was even self-imposed, and publishers would fold at the least pressure from a Vice Society. However some works with “serious reformist intent” were being censored and this began to estrange their base of support and weaken their cause. The First World War brought about an idea of patriotic purity, and foreign immorality, thus influencing everything from the written perceptions of soldiers to the removal of “objectionable” (pacifist and salacious) books by the ALA from camp libraries. There was the thought that the war had purified its soldiers, and now America was on the path to pure spiritual morality, but the war returned disillusioned boys and social upheaval, bringing new ideas to literature, and a new generation of publishers was willing to bring this to print. John Sumner and the continuing efforts of groups like the New York Vice Society eagerly brought charges against as many of the offenders as they were able to, but there seemed to be a flood. Chapter 5 discusses the “Clean Books” Crusade, and the Jesse-Cotillo Bill and the subsequent incarnations, its support and opposition. Things laws like this wanted to address were to allow taking segments out of context, disallowing expert witnesses, and heavily acknowledging its effect on children. But through these attempts at censorship, the anti-censorship movement solidified, and alerted the average American to impending dangers. As the Vice Society power dwindled, they attempted to use other means to object to books, such as the supposed influence of foreigners. There were in the 1920’s the efforts of those in favor of Prohibition throwing their weight behind censorship movements as well. The pressure of censorship was instead put on magazines and theatre, which few were bold enough to defend. Boston had an almost self-censoring situation, with the ideals of the old puritans setting the course for the current trends, it was also greatly influenced by the Watch and Ward Society and after they lost influence, the Catholic Church. The police took it upon themselves to become censors, and lacking training and literary expertise that had accompanied the Watch and Ward Society, more outrageous censoring prevailed. Few protested, authors, publishers, or sellers.
Throughout the book are a number of references to specific court cases involving many books, sometimes contemporary, sometimes foreign translation, sometimes reprints of time-honored classics. Slowly the book does degrade from his more researched, flowing style, to a more fired-off list, as he gets closer to the 1990’s and beyond. The last 2 chapters barely deal with physical print, but quite a bit of radio, television, and internet media regulation.
Overall the book was pleasant reading, and really interesting.
LibBie
