Review by Choice Review
This is a broad and reflective history of the Index of Prohibited Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum), which dates back the Council of Trent. Though censorship existed in the ancient world and the Middle Ages, Roman Catholic systematic censorship did not begin until the invention of printing and the Protestant Reformation. The first indexes appeared in the 1540s. Vose (history, St. Thomas Univ., New Brunswick) starts with a survey of numerous major and minor examples of censorship of religious, scientific, medical, and magical works published before 1800. He then discusses the Index and other papal censorship in the 19th and 20th centuries, a period seldom studied by historians. The Index expanded in an attempt to censor more literary and nonreligious works, although it had little impact beyond Catholic scholars and readers. Despite updates--the last edition appeared in 1948--the Index became an embarrassment to Catholics and Pope Paul VI abolished it in 1966. Vose concedes that moderate forms of censorship can be useful, because some knowledge and expression can have bad consequences: for example, the Index condemned the works of prominent Nazis. But he concludes that perfect censorship is not possible and that the Index was inconsistent, episodic, and harmful. This well-written book includes a comprehensive further reading section. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals. --Paul F. Grendler, emeritus, University of Toronto
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
