The Index Of Prohibited Books: Four Centuries O... Official
Charles Darwin was never on the Index, while some popular authors were ignored because they were deemed "too boring" to be dangerous.
The book chronicles the Catholic Church's attempt to control information from the Index’s 1559 creation to its 1966 abolition, analyzing it as a chaotic, human institution rather than a monolithic machine of oppression. 🏛️ The Index of Prohibited Books: Four Centuries o...
The work is divided into two distinct parts that frame censorship as both a historical and thematic struggle: Charles Darwin was never on the Index, while
Follows the list's evolution from the 16th century through the modern era, focusing on the bureaucratic machinery and its specific targets. 🔍 Key Review Highlights 1. A Human (and Inconsistent) Bureaucracy 🔍 Key Review Highlights 1
Traces censorship back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, illustrating that the Church's later efforts built upon existing societal impulses to control knowledge.
The Church struggled to handle modern figures, including both Nazis and socialists, often leading to inconsistent bans based on personal or local political scores. 2. Global & Cultural Impact
The book expands the narrative beyond Rome, showing how local Inquisitions (Spanish, Portuguese) and universities (Paris, Louvain) ran their own censorship campaigns.
