Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored
September 6, 2011 – January 22, 2012
How did hundreds of thousands of books, pictures, plays, and magazines come to be banned, burned, seized, and censored in the span of less than 30 years? This exhibition reveals the rarely seen "machinery" of censorship in the United States between the two world wars. Using tactics from extra-legal intimidation to federal prosecution, censors from the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, New England's Watch and Ward Society, the Post Office Department, and the Treasury Department waged war on "objectionable" literature. Larger-than-life personalities battled publicly over obscenity, "clean books," and freedom of expression while writers, agents, and publishers attempted to navigate the increasingly complex world of American censorship.
Press Information
Ransom Center Exhibition Explores Forces Behind Censorship in United States Between Two World Wars (PDF)
Exhibition guide (PDF)
Selection of press images relating to Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored (PDF)
High-resolution images are available for use by press by contacting one of the media contacts on the right-hand side of this page.
Public programs relating to Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored (PDF)
Media Contacts for members of the press
Alicia Dietrich
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Phone: 512-232-3667
Cell: 512-636-1216
Fax: 512-471-9646
aliciadietrich@mail.utexas.edu
Jennifer Tisdale
Director of Public Affairs
Phone: 512-471-8949
Cell: 512-921-0845
Fax: 512-471-9646
jentisdale@mail.utexas.edu
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The University of Texas at Austin
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