From Madonna's Sex to Lady Chatterley: inside the Bodleian's explicit book club

Created at the height of Victorian prudishness, the Bodleian Library’s Phi collection was designed to protect young minds from ‘immoral’ books. More than a century later, they’re going on display for the first timeLibraries today take a dim view of censorship. They are places where knowledge is preserved and shared freely, and where ideas that may seem challenging to some, are nevertheless part of what libraries see as their role in society to make ideas accessible to all.But this was not always the case. My own institution, the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, created a restricted class, a special category for books that were deemed to be too sexually explicit. These books were given the shelfmark Φ – the Greek letter phi – and students had to submit a college tutor’s letter of support in order to access the racy materials that were contained there. The Bodleian was certainly not alone in this approach to risqué books: one of my first jobs as a curator was in the National Library of Scotland, and the equivalent shelfmark there was frequently the target of break-ins which must have been perpetrated by library staff. (It is a closed-stack institution and only the librarians knew where such good stuff was kept.) Related: The trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #shared freely #national library #library staff #good stuff

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How to watch LeVar Burton at the L.A. Times Book Club

On May 24, actor and author LeVar Burton discusses the State of Banned Books with Times readers in Los Angeles. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-24 20:15:39 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for May 2023

The latest novels from Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Victor LaValle, Abraham Verghese, and more are among the this month's picks by the nation's biggest book clubs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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12 Book Clubs’ Excellent Picks For May 2023

Check out what all the online book clubs are reading in May, from dystopian fiction to historical fiction set in old Hollywood. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-08 10:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dystopian fiction #historical fiction #online book


7 Babysitters Club Books that Changed My Life

I can’t remember exactly when I discovered The Baby-Sitters Club books. Maybe it was at a Scholastic Book Fair at my school. But I’ll always remember the very first book, Kristy’s Great Idea, with its bright yellow cover and alphabet block letters. I saw four friends hanging out, and I... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-05-05 11:10:00 UTC ]
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Southern Manitoba libraries battle defunding attempts over sex-ed content in children's books

What started last year with a group trying to get a few children's sexual education books pulled from the shelves of a southern Manitoba library has now turned into accusations that its staff are pedophiles and a campaign to defund it, the... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-05-01 10:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2023: Brian Murray, the Ukrainian First Lady, and a Shocking Arrest Start the Show

On Day One in London, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said the publisher may still try to buy Simon & Schuster, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zolenska addressed the fair over video, and the floor was aflutter over the arrest of the foreign rights manager at French publisher Éditions La Fabrique... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This book club connects incarcerated fathers to the outside world.

When Ashley C. Ford showed up to the book club in March, she found an audience who had all read her 2021 bestseller, Somebody’s Daughter, and were primed for a lively discussion. “I gotta tell you, I’ve been to a lot of bookstores where they didn’t do that,” Ford laughs. The event took place... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-17 16:03:16 UTC ]
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Sign up for the Los Angeles Times Book Club

Join our community book club. Our mission is to get Southern California reading and talking. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-13 19:22:10 UTC ]
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Don’t Miss These April 2023 Book Club Picks

Get involved in a book club with this roundup of what all of the online book clubs are reading in April. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-10 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for April 2023

The latest novels by Curtis Sittenfeld, Jeannette Walls, and Colleen Oakley are among this month's selections by the nation's most influential book clubs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic to Integrate School Book Fairs, Clubs Businesses

The new integrated school reading events business will be launched by June under the direction of Sasha Quinton, who has been president of Scholastic Book Fairs. Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Book Clubs, has been named Scholastic’s first chief impact officer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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And You Get Counted! And You Get Counted!: Oprah’s Book Club by the Numbers

Here's a fun breakdown of Oprah's book club by the numbers! She just picked book 100—how many have you read Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-29 10:39:00 UTC ]
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How to watch Annalee Newitz at the L.A. Times Book Club

Sci-fi novelist Annalee Newitz will discuss "The Terraformers" March 28 at the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-28 21:24:50 UTC ]
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The Best Graphic Novels, as Chosen by a High School Comic Book Club

If you're looking to get a tween or teen into comics, here are the 8 most popular graphic novels with our high school comic book club, including The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-28 10:32:00 UTC ]
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12 March 2023 Book Club Picks To Get Reading With

Get involved in a book club with this roundup of what all of the online book clubs are reading this March. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-17 10:35:00 UTC ]
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How Online Book Clubs Transformed Reading Groups — And What's Lost When You Don't Meet IRL

Many readers are back to meeting in person after being forced to embrace Zoom book clubs during the pandemic. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2023-03-16 09:45:02 UTC ]
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Ann Napolitano’s New Novel, “Hello Beautiful,” Is the 100th Pick of Oprah’s Book Club

Ann Napolitano toiled in obscurity for years. Novels went unpublished; agents turned her down. She found recognition with “Dear Edward.” Then came the call: “Hello Beautiful” was the 100th pick for what is arguably the most influential book club in the world. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-03-14 12:35:55 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for March 2023

Debut novels by Diane Marie Brown, Lakiesha Carr, and Claire Jiménez are among the nation's biggest book clubs' March picks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Hey, Reese: About that Book Club Selection…

Hey Reese, can we talk? It's about your most recent book club selection. In the fight against antisemitism, I think there were better choices. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-08 16:57:32 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for February 2023

Debut novels by Jessica George, Monica Heisey, and Leanor Shearer get the book club treatment from Jenna Hager, 'Marie Claire,' and 'Good Morning America.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novels #marie claire #book club