THE LADY GOES TO COURT - PAPERBACKS AND CENSORSHIP (REPRINTED FROM 2-BIT CULTURE - THE PAPERBACKING OF AMERICA, 1984)

Arguing that the First Amendment does not allow for the suppression of ideas, constitutional scholars and historians have long been concerne d about legal attempts to censor books in the United States. In this a rticle Kenneth C. Davis explores the complex relationship between pivo tal court cases on censorship, congressional committees, various movem ents, and secular and religious organizations in attempts to curtail t he publication and distribution of certain types of books in this nati on. Davis's trenchant analyses enrich our understanding of censorship and the history of the book in the United States.