Description

The first comprehensive history of the Catholic Churchs notorious Index, with resonance for ongoing debates over banned books, censorship, and free speech.

For more than four hundred years, the Catholic Churchs Index Librorum Prohibitorum struck terror into the hearts of authors, publishers, and booksellers around the world, while arousing ridicule and contempt from many others, especially those in Protestant and non-Christian circles. Biased, inconsistent, and frequently absurd in its attempt to ban objectionable texts of every conceivable descriptionwith sometimes fatal consequencesthe Index also reflected the deep learning and careful consideration of many hundreds of intellectual contributors over the long span of its storied evolution. This book constitutes the first full study of the Index of Prohibited Books to be published in English. It examines the reasons behind the Churchs attempts to censor religious, scientific, and artistic works, and considers not only why this most sustained of campaigns failed, but what lessons can be learned for todays debates over freedom of expression and cancel culture.

Author: Robin Vose
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Published: 11/01/2022
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.36lbs
ISBN: 9781789146578
Language: English