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 Find an Online Book Club—or Start One Yourself

From live virtual reading groups to apps for organizing in-person meet-ups, we have tips to help you gather with your fellow bibliophiles. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2022-04-28 11:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Start a Banned Book Club

Teens across the country are fighting back against censorship and book bans. This guide to how to start a banned book club can help. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-04-26 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for April 2022

Annie Hartnett's 'Unlikely Animals' lands on two lists, mythological retellings make a splash, and more in April's book club picks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for March 2022

Barnes & Noble, 'Good Morning America,' and other big clubs look toward the summer and believe in love in this month's book club picks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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IPA and Brazilian Publishers: SDG Book Club at Bologna

The Brazilian Publishers at Bologna will have an SDG Book Club Portuguese display, as the IPA wraps up these curations for kids. The post IPA and Brazilian Publishers: SDG Book Club at Bologna appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-03-17 16:46:49 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for February 2022

Reese Witherspoon recommends the mysterious and the macabre, Oprah points the way to 'The Way to Integrity,' and more in our monthly roundup of book club picks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How to watch Stephanie Land discuss "Maid" at L.A. Times Book Club

5 things to know about Stephanie Land and "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-25 21:00:21 UTC ]
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Video: From Barack Obama to Billie Jean King, L.A. Times Book Club looks back on an eventful 2021

The L.A. Times Book Club dove into stories across the world and close to home in 2021. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-16 15:00:17 UTC ]
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Investment fund to take over book club France Loisirs

The Paris Commercial Court has authorised the French investment fund Financière Trésor de Patrimoine to take over the bankrupt book club France Loisirs, which is owned by holding company Actissia. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-14 00:52:23 UTC ]
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National Teen Book Club reads Cheung's Chinglish

Charities Speakers for Schools and Book Clubs in Schools have teamed up with Andersen Press for the third National Teen Book Club and creative writing course for state school students, this time reading Sue Cheung's Chinglish.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-10 08:14:22 UTC ]
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How to watch Ann Patchett discuss 'These Precious Days' at the L.A. Times Book Club

Novelist Ann Patchett will be in conversation with columnist Steve Lopez tonight at the L.A. Times Book Club Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-10 00:05:08 UTC ]
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Richard & Judy Book Club features Jewell, Slaughter and French

Novels by Lisa Jewell, Karin Slaughter and Tana French are among the six-strong line-up for the Richard & Judy Book Club this winter, with all the choices written by women. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-09 05:25:34 UTC ]
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Festival for Working Class Writers calls for book club titles

The Festival for Working-Class Writers' team are on the lookout for books to promote as part of their new book club, which launches in 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 23:43:53 UTC ]
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Some of the Best Book Club Gifts for the Holidays

Candles, wine glasses, cushions and more: we've got great ideas for book club themed gifts for the holidays!- Claire Handscombe Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-11-23 11:33:00 UTC ]
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National Teen Book Club aims to expand reach with grant from Law Family

The National Teen Book Club is aiming to reach 50,000 young people in 600 schools in a drive to raise literacy levels and encourage a love of reading. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-29 16:42:42 UTC ]
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The Best New and Upcoming Paperbacks for Your Book Club

From magic realism and folklore retellings to literary fiction and nonfiction, here are some of the best paperback releases for book club. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-28 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Mosse launches YouTube channel and book club

Kate Mosse is launching a YouTube channel, including a book club featuring two non-fiction titles and a pair of fiction titles each month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-20 03:44:21 UTC ]
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Uzo Aduba is leading a new book club for all of Netflix’s literary adaptations.

The Queen’s Gambit, Bridgerton, Mindhunter, Maid: Netflix has a track record of turning books into hit television series. And though popular adaptations often drum up interest in their source material—after the show premiered, Walter Tevis’s The Queen’s Gambit landed on the New York Times... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-13 18:00:07 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for October 2021

Barnes & Noble picks a gothic fantasy perfect for October, Oprah's Book Club gives Richard Powers's latest some love, Reese Witherspoon goes indie with her new pick, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Book Club That Helped Spark the Gay-Rights Movement

In the nineteen-fifties, the Cory Book Service quietly connected a community. Then it was forgotten. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2021-10-05 21:58:03 UTC ]
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