{"id":5777,"date":"2016-09-30T10:08:30","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T15:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5777"},"modified":"2016-09-30T10:08:30","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T15:08:30","slug":"banned-from-the-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5777","title":{"rendered":"Banned from the Library"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, libraries across the country are celebrating Banned Books Week<\/a>\u00a0(September 25 – October 1) which honors\u00a0the freedom to read. Hundreds of books are challenged or removed from the collections of libraries and schools across the United States every year. In 2014, the American Library Association <\/a>documented at least 311 cases of books being challenged, and\u00a0estimates that between 70-80% of challenges are never reported.<\/p>\n

You don’t have to look hard to find banned books in the Special Collections Research Center. On the shelves of the SCRC, For Whom the Bell Tolls<\/em> by Ernest Hemingway sits next to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel,\u00a0The Scarlet Letter.\u00a0<\/em>Both have been challenged, and remain\u00a0important pieces of literature as well as records of American history. These classics\u00a0help faculty, students, and researchers learn more about our history.<\/p>\n

Highlighted here\u00a0are two notable examples of banned and challenged books found in Special Collections Research Center.<\/p>\n

First, a peek at an 1852 copy of the\u00a0abolitionist novel,\u00a0Uncle Tom’s Cabin<\/em> by Harriet Beecher Stowe.<\/p>\n

\"An

An 1852 illustrated edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin<\/em> by Harriet Beecher Stowe<\/p><\/div>\n

In her\u00a0“Preface” Stowe\u00a0writes, “Good books, like good actions, best explain themselves; they most effectually storm both heart and head, their virtues drape them with greatest dignity, the less they are cumbered by eulogistic comment.”<\/p>\n

\"Frontispiece

Frontispiece and title page from the 1852 illustrated edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

With its\u00a0marbled cover and leather binding, this 1852 edition looks\u00a0innocuous. But for over 100 years, Uncle Tom’s Cabin<\/em> has been challenged or banned because of its\u00a0contextual, historically accurate depiction of slavery in the United States. It is\u00a0also seen\u00a0as popularizing stereotypes.<\/p>\n

The Special Collections Research Center\u00a0also holds a first edition of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Beloved<\/em> by Toni Morrison.<\/p>\n

\"Front

Front cover of Beloved<\/em> by Toni Morrison<\/p><\/div>\n

A discussion on Banned Books that Shaped America<\/a>\u00a0says “Again and again, this Pulitzer-prize winning novel by perhaps the most influential African-American writer of all time is assigned to high school English students. And again and again, parental complaints are lodged against the book because of its violence, sexual content and discussion of bestiality.”<\/p>\n

You can find these “banned” books and many others\u00a0by searching the catalog<\/a> on our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information or to view these books, visit the Special Collections Research Center in Fenwick Library 2400.<\/p>\n

Email: speccoll@gmu.edu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, libraries across the country are celebrating Banned Books Week\u00a0(September 25 – October 1) which honors\u00a0the freedom to read. Hundreds of books are challenged or removed from the collections of libraries and schools across the United States every year. In 2014, the American Library Association documented at least 311 cases of books being challenged, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[326,121],"tags":[383],"class_list":["post-5777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rare-books-2","category-scrc-picks","tag-bannedbooksweek"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1vb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9427,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9427","url_meta":{"origin":5777,"position":0},"title":"The Franklin Library Collection at Special Collections Research Center","author":"admin","date":"February 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0This post was written by Colleen Gerrity, Research Services Assistant in SCRC. Special Collections Research Center at George Mason University is the home to a plethora of classic literature and unique literary treasures. Sometimes, the literary classics are made to be unique treasures due to their exquisite design and rarity.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5647,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5647","url_meta":{"origin":5777,"position":1},"title":"About the Special Collections Research Center","author":"admin","date":"June 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) in George Mason University Libraries serves the scholarly community and beyond. While our services are used mainly by students and faculty, we are open to the public for research or for personal interest. The SCRC staff is dedicated to preserving, organizing, and collecting various\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "oral history"","block_context":{"text":"oral history","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"Poe,Edgar Allan, The Raven, PS2609 .A1 1884, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PS2609_A1_1884FB-240x168.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7414,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7414","url_meta":{"origin":5777,"position":2},"title":"Mahogani Harper: My Experience as a Student Assistant at Special Collection","author":"admin","date":"April 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Working at the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) as a student assistant has been a unique and enjoyable experience. I\u2019ve met people from many groups and departments at Mason while working at the front desk, and have encountered books that were older than my great grandmother while working in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/C0130B3-1-of-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1051&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/C0130B3-1-of-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1051&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/C0130B3-1-of-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1051&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/C0130B3-1-of-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1051&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/C0130B3-1-of-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1051&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7288,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7288","url_meta":{"origin":5777,"position":3},"title":"Collection in Focus: Egon Verheyen","author":"admin","date":"March 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A few months ago we received almost 550\u00a0books donated to us by Gwendolyn White\u00a0in honor of her husband\u00a0as part of the\u00a0Egon Verheyen collection. Dr. Egon Verheyen was a GMU professor of Art History and named a Clarence J. Robinson professor of humanities at George Mason in 1987. He retired\u00a0in January\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/DieStaufer-2.jpg?fit=716%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/DieStaufer-2.jpg?fit=716%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/DieStaufer-2.jpg?fit=716%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/DieStaufer-2.jpg?fit=716%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":644,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=644","url_meta":{"origin":5777,"position":4},"title":"Not Just Another Library Preservation Video!","author":"Bob Vay","date":"April 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"As you know, this week is National Library Week, and George Mason University Libraries and Special Collections & Archives has teamed up to create a video to educate library users on the proper care of library materials. This latest installment in what has become a a cottage industry among hip\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"poster_04_centered2","src":"https:\/\/specialcollections.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/fundamentals_poster.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2191,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=2191","url_meta":{"origin":5777,"position":5},"title":"From the Back of the Vault: An Introduction to Fenwick Library, 1989","author":"admin","date":"January 28, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"By Greta Kuriger and Bob Vay Wouldn't we all love to step back in time more than 20 years and see what our office looked like back then? In the rapidly changing world of libraries and information management, even five years is a lifetime.\u00a0 Imagine going back twenty-two years. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "miscellaneous"","block_context":{"text":"miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=93"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/i2FL_4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5777"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5777\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5807,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5777\/revisions\/5807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}