{"id":61,"date":"2020-01-03T10:37:03","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T15:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/?page_id=61"},"modified":"2020-01-03T10:44:41","modified_gmt":"2020-01-03T15:44:41","slug":"banned-books","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/home\/banned-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Banned Books"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[UD_EXHIBITION_ITEM]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thucydides (circa 460-400 BCE)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0398\u03bf\u03c5\u03ba\u03c5\u03b4\u03b9\u03b4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u039f\u03bb\u03bf\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03a0\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03c5\u03b7\u03c3\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03b5\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b2\u03b9\u03b2\u03bb\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bf\u03ba\u03c4\u03c9. Thucydidis Olori Filii De Bello Peloponnesiaco Libri Octo<\/strong><\/em>. [Geneva:] Excudebat Henricus Stephanus, illustris viri Huldrichi Fuggeri typographus, 1564.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thucydides\u2019 account of the Peloponnesian Wars \u2013 here printed in the original Greek and in the Latin translation of Lorenzo Vallas, as edited and rewritten by Henri Estienne II \u2013 was not, in and of itself, particularly controversial. What was controversial was the printer himself, Estienne (here Latinized as Henricus Stephanus), and in the case of this volume a censor responded by crossing out Estienne\u2019s name every time it appeared in print. Henri Estienne\u2019s father, Robert Estienne, had routinely been accused of heresy for his printings of the Bible, in particular for his printings of the original Greek text of the New Testament. (Many Church authorities viewed the Latin Vulgate as the only valid version, even though the Vulgate was, itself, a translation from Hebrew and Greek.) Under the reign of King Francis I, Robert had served as the king\u2019s printer and was thus benefited from the king\u2019s protection. After Francis\u2019 death in 1547, Robert\u2019s situation deteriorated and he fled to Geneva, where he converted to Calvinism and reestablished his printing press under the protection of the Genevan authorities. Henri followed Robert to Geneva in 1555, and he continued the press after Robert\u2019s death. (Other members of the Estienne family remained in France and also printed under the Estienne name.) Because of these religious and political tensions, the Genevan Estienne imprints were prohibited in France and restricted elsewhere. Apparently, in the case of this volume, a censor decided that it would be acceptable as long as the offending Estienne name was expunged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[UD_EXHIBITION_ITEM]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dialogo Di Galileo Galilei Linceo Matematico Sopraordinario Dello Studio Di Pisa. E Filosofo, E Matematico Primario Del Serenissimo Gr. Duca Di Toscana. Doue Ne I Congressi Di Quattro Giornate Si Discorre Sopra I Due Massimi Sistemi Del Mondo Tolemaico, E Copernicano: Proponendo Indeterminatamente Le Ragioni Filosofiche, E Naturali Tanto Per L’vna, Quanto Per L’altra Parte<\/strong><\/em>. In Fiorenza: Per Gio: Batista Landini, 1632.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galileo\u2019s\u00a0Dialogo<\/em>\u00a0presents an analysis of the theories of the universe, comparing Copernicus\u2019 heliocentric theory (i.e., that the planets revolve around the sun) to the older geocentric theory (i.e., that the universe revolves around the earth) proposed by Ptolemy. This was far more controversial than it sounds today: the Ptolemaic theory had long been established in the scientific community and, more importantly, the Inquisition had condemned heliocentric theory as heretical. At a time when heresy was a capital crime, this was a truly dangerous argument. In writing the\u00a0Dialogo\u00a0<\/em>Galileo had tried to distance himself by presenting the competing theories in the form of a conversation between three characters. This way, Galileo could say that he was just writing hypothetically about heliocentric theory, and was not endorsing any theory in particular. However, the book, as written, presents a pretty one-sided argument in favor of heliocentric theory. Most of the arguments for geocentric theory are voiced by the character Simplicio, who is portrayed throughout as a fool. All the more problematically, some of Simplicio\u2019s arguments were the very same theological arguments that had been voiced by Pope Urban VIII. This did not go over well. The Pope first organized a special commission to review the book, and then referred the matter to the Roman Inquisition. Galileo was brought before the Inquisition, forced him to recant, on pain of death, and was sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life. The\u00a0Dialogo\u00a0<\/em>itself was banned by the Inquisition and added to the Catholic Church\u2019s\u00a0List of Forbidden Books<\/em>, making this copy a rare survival. The ban on the\u00a0Dialogo<\/em>\u00a0was not lifted until 1835.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[UD_EXHIBITION_ITEM]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Die Grundlage Der Allgemeinen Relativit\u00e4tstheorie<\/strong><\/em>. Leipzig: Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1916.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This volume presents the first individual printing of Einstein\u2019s general theory of relativity. In 1905, Einstein had presented his theory of special relativity, which concerned objects in motion and contained the famous equation \u201ce=mc 2<\/sup>,\u201d which expressed the concept of mass-energy equivalent. In his writings on general relativity, Einstein theorized that the force of gravity results from the curvature of space and time, with planets and other massive objects further altering this force. Einstein\u2019s theories have revolutionized our understanding of physics and rewrote many prior assumptions about the nature of space, time, matter, energy, and gravity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1933, following Adolf Hitler\u2019s seizure of power in Germany, the Nazi Propaganda Ministry instituted an extensive and pervasive censorship policy, which involved banning and destroying works that were in any way perceived as contrary to the Nazi regime\u2019s ideology and worldview. In particular, the Nazi\u2019s Anti-Semitic persecutions were so pervasive and systematic that they even sought to erase the written scientific, cultural, and literary contributions that Jewish authors had produced. All of Einstein\u2019s works were banned, not so much because of the scientific theories they described but because of the fact that Einstein was Jewish and his scientific accomplishments were thus seen as contradicting the racist foundations of Hitler\u2019s Germany. A number of Einstein\u2019s German critics \u2013 including two Nobel laureates, Philipp Lenard and Johannes Stark \u2013 did not even bother to assess his scientific theories, and simply dismissed them on racist grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[UD_EXHIBITION_ITEM]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Joyce (1882-1941)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUlysses, Episode XIII.\u201d The Little Review. New York: Margaret C. Anderson, July-August 1920.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ulysses<\/em>\u00a0was first published in installments in\u00a0The Little Review<\/em>\u00a0between March 1918 and December 1920. The novel\u2019s serialization ended abruptly after the Society for the Prevention of Vice in New York lodged a formal complaint, charging\u00a0The Little Review<\/em>\u00a0with printing obscenities. Specifically, the Society took issue with an erotic scene that appeared in the thirteenth installment (now known as the \u201cNausica\u00e4\u201d episode), which appeared in the issue shown here. (The scene in question is heavily coded and metaphoric; one has to read pretty closely to realize that anything of the sort is happening in the scene in question.) The editors of\u00a0The Little Review<\/em>, Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap, fought back in court but lost. They were fined $50 for their troubles and were banned from printing any more of\u00a0Ulysses<\/em>. At this time, copies of\u00a0The Little Review<\/em>\u00a0were also seized by the US Post office and burned.\u00a0Ulysses\u00a0<\/em>was published in full in France and England in 1922; it remained banned in the United States, although pirated American editions were produced between 1927 and 1928. An authorized edition did not appear in this country until 1934, after Random House successfully sued to overturn the ban, on the grounds that\u00a0Ulysses<\/em>\u00a0was not pornographic and thus could not be considered obscene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[UD_EXHIBITION_ITEM]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Lee [i.e, William S. Burroughs (1914-1997)]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict<\/strong><\/em>. London: Brown, Watson Ltd, [1957.]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

William S. Burroughs\u2019 first novel, Junkie<\/em>, originally appeared under a pseudonym in 1953. It was printed in an Ace Double-Books edition, where it was paired with Narcotic Agent<\/em>, the memoir of a federal narcotics agent. The volume shown here was the first separate printing of Junkie<\/em>, as well as the first British edition. Although Burroughs\u2019 novel presented a straightforward and uncritical account of his own drug use, his publishers opted to couch it in an anti-drug context. Their preface presented Junkie<\/em> as a harrowing account and a valuable warning against the \u201cdrug menace.\u201d The original pairing with Narcotic Agent<\/em> had helped to further bolster the publishers\u2019 claim that they were not actually endorsing Burroughs\u2019 account. The British edition retained the same cautious preface, but the British authorities were not impressed. The cover art, which was sensational for the time, probably did not help their case. British censors banned the book almost immediately upon publication, and nearly all copies were recalled to be destroyed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[UD_EXHIBITION_ITEM] Thucydides (circa 460-400 BCE) \u0398\u03bf\u03c5\u03ba\u03c5\u03b4\u03b9\u03b4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u039f\u03bb\u03bf\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03a0\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03c5\u03b7\u03c3\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03b5\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b2\u03b9\u03b2\u03bb\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bf\u03ba\u03c4\u03c9. Thucydidis Olori Filii De Bello Peloponnesiaco Libri Octo. [Geneva:] Excudebat Henricus Stephanus, illustris viri Huldrichi Fuggeri typographus, 1564. Thucydides\u2019 account of the Peloponnesian Wars \u2013 here printed in the original Greek and in the Latin translation of Lorenzo Vallas, as edited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":59,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-exhibition.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-61","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75,"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61\/revisions\/75"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibitions.lib.udel.edu\/banned-books-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}