Dr. Bowdler's Legacy: A History of Expurgated Books in England and America | Censorship Studies, Literary History & Book Collecting for Scholars

Yes, censorship is alive, even in the Land of the Free. Perrin's terrific book is essentially a history of censorship in the UK and US. In the US, the censorship appears primarily as "bowdlerization" in which the rougher edges of a written work are edited out to avoid offending sensitive readers or arousing witch hunters.The "Dr. Bowdler" of the title refers to the guiding light of a printed version of Shakespeare that was popular in the US in the 19th century. Bowdler and family produced this edited version for "family" consumption, since "raw" Shakespeare was deemed too raw for popular sensibilities, and for children in particular.For this paperback version, Perrin included an update to report on more recent events. The most incredible story had to do with Bradbury's famous anti-censorship SF novel "Fahrenheit 451" and how the complete edition was supplanted for a few years by a censored edition.