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
Recently, we heard about Netflix’s forthcoming adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s famously banned book Lady Chatterley’s Lover (apparently it’s going to be raunchier than Bridgerton, which does seem only fair). To prepare yourself, you may want to start with this video of John Waters—or as William S.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-20 16:04:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#lady chatterley
#forthcoming adaptation
#banned book
When I first meet a writer on the page, I pose a simple question: What don’t you ask permission for? In Yiyun Li’s case, the answer is her freedom. Individualism might seem inevitable for a woman who was born in China and whose early work responds to authoritarianism, but—reading Li—one senses... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-09-15 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#pandemic appeared
#simple question
#electric literature
#yiyun li
#book club
A reader and book club host weighs in on the pros and cons of in-person vs virtual book club meetups in the time of COVID-19. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-15 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book club
What makes a book club challenging? Is it possible to make it better? Try these tips and tricks for how to keep the peace at book club. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-10 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book club
Rounding up this month's book club picks from 'Good Morning America,' Oprah's Book Club, Reese's Book Club, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book club
Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (Penguin) has claimed its seventh week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot in paperback, selling 15,353 copies last week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-24 07:26:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#richard osman
In memory of the Black Expressions Book Club and its impact on a reader always seeking out Black literary excellence. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-08-17 10:39:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book club
The summer months may be slowly drawing to a close, but there are loads of books still to read. We’ve rounded up more than August book club selections, ranging from escapist fiction to deep dives into serious issues. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ve rounded
#escapist fiction
#deep dives
#book club
Check out the latest pick from Reese's Book Club--a YA historical fiction set in the New South--and #ReadWithReese this summer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-20 19:01:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book club
#latest pick
#historical fiction
Hachette UK has partnered with Tesco to support the retailer’s first Health Charity Book Club, exclusively featuring titles from the publisher. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-16 20:09:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#hachette uk
#hachette
#book club
Cast your vote for one of the six books on the list to become the next #FallonSummerReads book club selection. Votes are due July 18th! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-15 18:52:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#tonight show
#book club
Nathan Harris sets his novel in Georgia during the murky twilight of the Civil War. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-15 07:08:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#civil war
Book clubs are over the moon for Zakiya Dalila Harris's 'The Other Black Girl,' Oprah announces her latest pick, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book clubs
#black girl
#latest pick
The Portuguese-language SDG Book Club is divided into an effort in Portugal and a sister program in Brazil, each announcing its reading list. The post Portuguese-Language SDG Book Club: Open for Business appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-10 14:49:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#business appeared
#book club
National Book Award winner Charles Yu discusses 'Interior Chinatown' with Times film critic Justin Chang at the L.A. Times Book Club Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-27 20:58:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#interior chinatown
#national book award
#times book
A successful book club needs three things to thrive: delicious food, decent wine and wonderful people. Only the first two, food and wine, are easy to find. It is the third element, the people, that is like a jigsaw puzzle with a thousand pieces—something that promises to look like the pretty... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-05-27 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#electric literature
#book club
On the opening day of the U.S. Book Show, Ingram Content Group chairman John Ingram and author Keel Hunt sat down with PW executive editor Jim Milliot, giving publishing professionals a rare glimpse of the inner workings of the distributor, printer, and publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book show
#trade publishing
#opening day
#rare glimpse
#ingram content group
Generations of readers who fondly recall Reading Rainbow are in luck: LeVar Burton can be your reading guide once again. Burton is launching his own book club (for adults!) in partnership with the new book club platform Fable, a social platform that “deliver[s] the world’s best social experience... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-05-12 15:37:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#levar burton
#reading rainbow
#reading guide
#social platform
#exceptional stories
#book club
Roxane Gay picks Kaitlyn Greenidge's latest, Jenna Bush enters the 'Great Circle,' Barnes & Noble vibes with Chris Bohjalian, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#great circle
#chris bohjalian
Selections for the African chapter of the Sustainable Development Goals Book Club include two titles in Indigenous African languages. The post The New SDG Book Club African Chapter Releases Its First Reading List appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-27 20:25:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#african chapter
#book club