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This list focuses on books actually banned or restricted by government action (although it does include works that were self-censored in response to government action, such as works pulled by their publishers due to a government designation of obscenity.) It does not include works that have only been challenged, or, for the most part, very local actions such as removal by a school board. (If the group wants to track challenged books or school bans, we can certainly start threads for those.) This list started with the of books banned by governments, but Wikipedia's list is apparently not very complete as I keep finding things listed as banned in other articles on censorship and in articles on specific works that are not on the main list. Which is a long way of saying that there is still a lot of work to do here. Nonetheless, Wikipedia has been invaluable in this project, and the information on bans in () is directly quoted from Wikipedia unless noted otherwise. Comments in [] are my notes on the information (will be our notes as more information from the rest of the group gets added here).

This is also obviously a very partial list of nations involved in censorship. More information is available for open societies, as they tend to have specific legal proceedings to designate a book as banned and because they allow outlets for publishing lists of what is banned. More closed places may have more bans, but it is harder to get information on what precisely is banned. Other countries simply go in the reverse direction, requiring government approval for any book to be published. The issue of self-censorship is also very difficult to pin down.

We will certainly add anything you find banned to this list; just post it over in the discussion thread. (I have not made it over to the discussion thread to update anything that we already have, but that is high on my to do list.) I am also still working on listing out items I've found digging deeper into Wikipedia and from outside sources.

Multiple

The Bible (Censored in dozens of countries, both historically and in the current era. At present, the Bible is banned or greatly restricted in a number of countries including North Korea. Sometimes, the ban is on distributing the Bible in certain languages or versions. The Bible in Spanish was prohibited in Spain from the sixteenth until the nineteenth century. In 1234, King James I of Aragon ordered the burning of Bibles in the vernacular.) [Tried to get a definitive answer on bans/restrictions, but definitive answers are difficult. Maldives, Saudia Arabia, and North Korea seem to have bans (maybe) and serious restrictions seem to exist throughout the Middle East and Communist/former Communist countries.]

The Quran (As with many holy books, the Quran has been subject to scrutiny and censorship at various points throughout history. Proposals and movements advocating outright bans of the Quran are uncommon in the West, occurring only among extremist right-wing circles. The most notable recent (and controversial) ban of a version of the Quran happened in 2013 when a Russian court censored the text under the country's 'extremism' laws.)

Thalia by Arius (Banned in the Roman Empire in the 330s+ for contradicting Trinitarianism. All of Arius writings were ordered burned and Arius exiled, and presumably assassinated for his writings. Banned by the Catholic Church for the next thousand plus years.)

On the Origins and Perpetual Use of the Legislative Powers of the Apostolic Kings of Hungary in Matters Ecclesiastical by Adam F. Koll¨¢r (1764, banned in the Papal States for arguments against the political role of the Roman Catholic Church. Original title: De Originibus et Usu perpetuo.)

Animal Farm by George Orwell (Completed in 1943, Orwell found that no publisher would print the book, due to its criticism of the U.S.S.R., an important ally of Britain in the War. Once published, the book was banned in the USSR and other communist countries. In 2002, the novel was banned in the schools of the United Arab Emirates, because it contained text or images that goes against Islamic values, most notably the occurrence of an anthropomorphic, talking pig. The book is still banned in North Korea, and censored in Vietnam.)

Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (Temporarily banned in the United States and the United Kingdom for violation of obscenity laws; both bans were lifted in 1959 and 1960, respectively. Banned in Australia from 1929 to 1965. Chinese translation by Rao Shu-yi denied open publication by China's Central Bureau in 1936, and it ordered booksellers to stop advertising and selling the novel.)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Pub 1955, French officials banned it for being "obscene," as did the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand (uncensored 1964) and South Africa. Banned in Canada in 1958, though the ban was later lifted.)

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

Feast for the Seaweeds by Haidar Haidar (Banned in Egypt and several other Arab states, and even resulted in a belated angry reaction from the clerics of Al-Azhar University upon reprinting in Egypt in the year 2000. The clerics issued a Fatwa banning the novel, and accused Haidar of heresy and offending Islam. Al-Azhar University students staged huge protests against the novel, that eventually led to its confiscation.)

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (Banned in some European nations and the Russian Federation as extremist. In Germany, the copyright of the book is claimed by the Free State of Bavaria and Bavarian authorities try to prevent any reprinting. It is legal to own or distribute existing copies. In Austria, the Verbotsgesetz 1947 prohibits the printing of the book. It is illegal to own or distribute existing copies.) [Germany: the copyright expires in 2016, which will prevent Bavaria from using its copyright to prevent publication - thanks to Derek for this info]

The Peaceful Pill Handbook by Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart (Initially banned in New Zealand by Office of Film & Literature Classification since it was deemed to be objectionable. In May 2008 an edited version of the book was allowed for sale if sealed and an indication of the censorship classification was displayed. The book was initially restricted in Australia: after review the 2007 edition was banned outright.)

Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Banned in various libraries and many attempts to ban in various nations, as in Russia.)

Rangila Rasul by Pt.M.A. Chamupati (Currently banned in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.)

Australia

Ulysses by James Joyce (Banned in Australia from 1929 to 1937, then restricted to people over the age of 18 from 1941 to 1953.)

Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (Banned in Australia from 1929 to 1965.)

Rowena Goes Too Far by H. C. Asterley (Published 1931, banned in Australia because of customs belief that it ¡°lacked sufficient claim to the literary to excuse the obscenity¡±.) [Book and author are not on GR.]

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Banned in Australia from 1932 to 1937.)

The Golden Asse by Apuleius, translation by William Adlington (banned 1933¨C1936) [Info from University of Melbourne]

The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade (Banned by the Australian Government in 1957 for obscenity.)

Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan (Banned in Ireland in 1958. It was banned in Australia and New Zealand shortly after.)

Ecstasy and Me: My Life as a Woman by Hedy Lamarr (Banned in Australia from 1967 until 1973.)

The World Is Full of Married Men by Jackie Collins (Banned in Australia in 1968.)

The Stud by Jackie Collins (Banned in Australia in 1969.)

The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell (Pub 1971, banned in Australia.)

How to Make Disposable Silencers: A Complete Guide by J. Flores and Eliezer Flores (Pub 1984, an example of a class of books banned in Australia that "promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence".)

The Peaceful Pill Handbook by Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart (The book was initially restricted in Australia: after review the 2007 edition was banned outright.)

State/Local bans:

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (Pub 1991, sale and purchase was banned in the Australian State of Queensland. Now available in public libraries and for sale to people 18 years and older. Sale restricted to persons at least 18 years old in the other Australian states.)

A Sneaking Suspicion by John Dickson (Banned by the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities from state schools May 5, 2015 for undisclosed reasons. It was speculated that the book's pro-monogamy stance may have led to the ban. The ban was lifted May 19, 2015.)

Add: (selected list from the University of Melbourne)

Reserved (because Australia may actually need two entries once everything is added!)

Bangladesh

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

Lajja: Shame by Taslima Nasrin (Pub 1993; banned in Bangladesh, and a few states of India.)

Rangila Rasul by Pt.M.A. Chamupati (Currently banned in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.)

Bosnia
The Mountain Wreath by Petar II Petrovi? Njego? (Banned in Bosnian schools by Carlos Westendorp.) [Which would be 1997 to 1999.]

Canada

National:

The Droll Stories by Honor¨¦ de Balzac (Banned for obscenity in Canada in 1914.)

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer (Banned in Canada in 1949 for "obscenity.")

Peyton Place by Grace Metalious (Banned in Canada from 1956¨C1958.)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Banned in Canada in 1958, though the ban was later lifted.)

White Niggers of America by Pierre Valli¨¨res (Deals with Qu¨¦bec politics and society; written while the author was incarcerated. An edition published in France was not allowed into Canada; an edition was published in the U.S. in 1971.)

The Hoax of the Twentieth Century: The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry by Arthur Butz (Classified as "hate literature" in Canada with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police destroying copies as recently as 1995.)

The Turner Diaries by Andrew MacDonald (The book is considered to be hate propaganda and is prohibited from being imported into Canada.)

Noir Canada by Alain Deneault (Published 2008, banned from sale in Canada following two defamation lawsuit from Barrick Gold and Banro and an out-of-court settlement.)

Municipal:

Lethal Marriage: The Unspeakable Crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka by Nick Pron (Written by a newspaper reporter this book allegedly contains inaccuracies, additionally, complaints were received by the St. Catharines library board from the mother of a victim that led to the book being removed from all public library branches in the city.[52] As recently as 1999 this book was still unavailable to public library patrons in St. Catherines.)

China

From the Censorship in China article: China's state-run General Administration of Press and Publication (ÐÂÎųö°æ×ÜÊð) screens all Chinese literature that is intended to be sold on the open market. The GAPP has the legal authority to screen, censor, and ban any print, electronic, or Internet publication in China. Because all publishers in China are required to be licensed by the GAPP, that agency also has the power to deny people the right to publish, and completely shut down any publisher who fails to follow its dictates. Resultingly, the ratio of official-to-pirated books is said to be 40:60. According to a report in ZonaEuropa, there are more than 4,000 underground publishing factories around China. The Chinese government continues to hold public book burnings on unapproved yet popular "spiritual pollution" literature, though critics claim this spotlight on individual titles only helps fuel booksales. Publishing in Hong Kong remains uncensored. Publishers such as New Century Press freely publish books, including lurid fictional accounts, about Chinese officials and forbidden episodes of Chinese history. Banned material including imported material such as that published by Mirror Books of New York City are sold in bookshops such as "People¡¯s Commune bookstore" patronized by shoppers from the mainland.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Formerly banned in the province of Hunan, China, beginning in 1931, for its portrayal of anthropomorphized animals acting on the same level of complexity as human beings.)

Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (Chinese translation by Rao Shu-yi denied open publication by China's Central Bureau in 1936, and it ordered booksellers to stop advertising and selling the novel.)

Big River Big Sea by Yingtai Long (It sold over 100,000 copies in Taiwan and 10,000 in Hong Kong in its first month of release, but discussion of her work was banned in mainland China following the book launch.)

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (In 1965, the children's novel was temporarily banned in the People's Republic of China for its portrayal of early Marxism. The ban was lifted in 1991, following Seuss' death.)

All writings of Shen Congwen ("Denounced by the Communists and Nationalists alike, Mr. Shen saw his writings banned in Taiwan, while mainland [China] publishing houses burned his books and destroyed printing plates for his novels. .... So successful was the effort to erase Mr. Shen's name from the modern literary record that few younger Chinese today recognize his name, much less the breadth of his work. Only since 1978 has the Chinese Government reissued selections of his writings, although in editions of only a few thousand copies. .... In China, his passing was unreported.")

Sexual Customs by ? (Banned in China in 1989 for insulting Islam.) [I'd skip this one but there are no fewer than 13 references documenting it on Wikipedia. I'm chalking the lack of information up to the difficulty of getting information on what exactly has been restricted.]

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (Banned from publication in the People's Republic of China for its depiction of Mao Tse-tung.)

Zhuan Falun by Li Hongzhi [Banned in China in July 1999.]

Cuba

Cubans cannot read books, magazines or newspapers unless they have been approved/published by the government. Cubans cannot receive publications from abroad or from visitors. ()

El Salvador

One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta (Banned by El Salvador for its portrayal of human rights violations.)

Eritrea

I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation by Michela Wrong (Banned in Eritrea in 2014 for its criticism of President Isaias Afewerki)

Scouting for the Reaper by Jacob M. Appel (Banned in Eritrea in 2014 for its criticism of civil liberties under President Isaias Afewerki.)

Finland

In the immediate aftermath of the Continuation War, a number of books were withdrawn from public libraries because of Soviet pressure. This ban concerned mostly pre-war and wartime propaganda works which were considered anti-Soviet, but the books remained in free circulation in the second-hand market. In 1958, the memoirs Kommunisti sis?ministerin? (¡°Communist as the Minister of Interior¡±) of former communist Minister of Interior Affairs Yrj? Leino were withdrawn from circulation and burned just before publication on Soviet demand. The book was republished in 1991.

During the period of Finlandization, major Finnish publishers tended to avoid books that were thought to risk Soviet displeasure. For example, the first volume of the Finnish translation of Aleksander Solzhenitsyn¡¯s The Gulag Archipelago was published in Sweden, and the remaining two volumes by a minor Finnish publisher.

France
Les Moeurs by Fran?ois-Vincent Toussaint (Officially banned in France in 1748.)

Justine and Juliette by Marquis de Sade (Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the arrest of the anonymous author of Justine and Juliette, and as a result Sade was incarcerated for the last 13 years of his life. The book's destruction was ordered by the Cour Royale de Paris on May 19, 1815.)

Le Pays et le gouvernement by F¨¦licit¨¦ Robert de Lamennais (1840, led to Lamennais' imprisonment for a year)

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (When the novel was first serialized in La Revue de Paris between 1 October 1856 and 15 December 1856, public prosecutors attacked the novel for obscenity. The resulting trial in January 1857 made the story notorious. After Flaubert's acquittal on 7 February 1857, it became a bestseller in April 1857 when it was published as a single volume.)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Pub 1955, French officials banned it for being "obscene.")

The Question by Henri Alleg (Minuit, 1958 - on the use of torture during the Algerian War)

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (1961)

Cruel Hand on Cameroon: Autopsy of a Decolonization by Mongo Beti

Bagatelles pour un massacre, L'¨¦cole des cadavres, and Les beaux draps by Louis-Ferdinand C¨¦line (for antisemitism)

Tintin mon copain by Leon Degrelle

Suicide, mode d'emploi: histoire, technique, actualit¨¦ by Claude Guillon (This book, reviewing recipes for committing suicide, was the cause of a scandal in France in the 1980s, resulting in the enactment of a law prohibiting provocation to commit suicide and propaganda or advertisement of products, objects, or methods for committing suicide. Subsequent reprints were thus illegal. The book was cited by name in the debates of the French National Assembly when examining the bill.)

Germany

East Germany:

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (In 1956, it was banned in East Germany for its incompatibility with Communism.)

West Germany:

Truth for Germany: The Guilt Question of the Second World War by Udo Walendy (In 1979 this book was listed by Germany's Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons as material that could not be publicly advertised or given to young readers, due to the version it presented of the events that led to World War II. This restriction was lifted in 1994, after a long legal battle.)

Reunified Germany:

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (In Germany, the copyright of the book is claimed by the Free State of Bavaria and Bavarian authorities try to prevent any reprinting. It is legal to own or distribute existing copies.) [Germany: the copyright expires in 2016, which will prevent Bavaria from using its copyright to prevent publication - thanks to Derek for this info]

[Redo this whole section, see ]

()

Greece

Lysistrata by Aristophanes (Banned in 1967 in Greece because of its anti-war message.)

Guatemala
The President by Miguel ?ngel Asturias (Banned in Guatemala because it went against the ruling political leaders.)

India

National:

Angaray by Sajjad Zaheer (Banned in India in 1936 by the British government.)

An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul (Banned in India for its negative portrayal of India and its people.)

The Heart of India by Alexander Campbell (Banned by the Indian government in 1959 on grounds of being ¡°repulsive¡±.)

Nine Hours to Rama by Stanley Wolpert (Pub 1962, banned in India. It exposes persons responsible for security lapses that led to Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.)

Unarmed victory by Bertrand Russell (Pub 1963, banned in India. Contains unflattering details of the 1962 Sino-Indian War.)

Understanding Islam Through Hadis: Religious Faith or Fanaticism? by Ram Swarup (Pub 1982, banned in India.)

Smash And Grab: Annexation Of Sikkim: 1 by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray (Pub 1984, banned in India. Describes the process of the annexation of the Buddhist kingdom of Sikkim by the Indian government of Indira Gandhi in 1975.)

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada by Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew (Published 1989, banned in India.)

The True Furqan by Saffee (Pub 1999, import into India prohibited on the grounds of threatening national security.)

Rangila Rasul by Pt.M.A. Chamupati (Currently banned in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.)

State:

Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India by James W. Laine (Banned in Indian state of Maharashtra in 2004 for "promoting social enmity"; ban overturned by Bombay High Court in 2007.)

Islam ¨C A Concept of Political World Invasion by R. V. Bhasin (Banned in Maharashtra, India in 2007, after its publishing on grounds that it promotes communal disharmony between Hindus and Muslims.)

Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence by Jaswant Singh (Temporarily banned in Gujarat, India in August 2009. The ban was overturned by the Gujarat High Court in December 2009.)

Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India by Joseph Lelyveld (Is currently banned in Gujarat, a state in western India, for suggesting that Mahatma Gandhi had a homosexual relationship. Gujarat's state assembly voted unanimously in favour of the ban in April, 2011.)

Lajja: Shame by Taslima Nasrin (Banned in Bangladesh, and a few states of India.)

Add:

See also:

Indonesia

The Fugitive by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Banned in Indonesia in 1950, for containing "subversive" material, including an attempt to promote Marxist¨CLeninist thought and other Communist theories. As of 2006, the ban is still in effect.)

Iran

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

The Gods Laugh on Mondays by Reza Khoshnazar (Was banned in Iran after men torched its publication house.) [Cannot locate the book.]

The Monkey Whose Owner Had Died and The Patient Stone by Sadeq Chubak

The Mourners of Bayal, Dandyl, Fear and Chills, and The Ball by Gholam-Hossein Saedi [There is a [author:Gholamhossein Saed¨¬|7902810] on GR, but I wasn't sure if it was the same author.]

Censoring an Iranian Love Story by Shahriar Mandanipour

Chashmhayash by Alavi Bozorg

Add:

Iraq

In 2003, the Iraqi penal code was reverted to its 1988 edition with some revisions drafted by Paul Bremer and later the Iraqi national government. Several provisions in the current penal code address the limitations placed on the freedom of the press and communicative media

Ireland

Ulysses by James Joyce (Although Ulysses was never banned in Ireland, neither was it available there.)

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Banned in Ireland in 1932, allegedly because of references of sexual promiscuity.)

The Droll Stories by Honor¨¦ de Balzac (Banned for obscenity in Ireland in 1953. The ban was lifted in Ireland in 1967.)

Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan (Banned in Ireland in 1958. The Irish Censorship of Publications Board was not obliged to reveal its reason but it is believed that it was rejected for its critique of Irish republicanism and the Catholic Church, and its depiction of adolescent sexuality.)

The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien (Banned by Ireland's censorship board in 1960 for its explicit sexual content.)

The Dark by John McGahern (Banned in Ireland for obscenity.)

Add:

Japan

The Story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman (Banned in Japan (1988¨C2005) to quell "political threats to boycott Japanese cultural exports", although the pictures were not those of the original version.)

Lebanon

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Banned in September 2004 in Lebanon after Catholic leaders deemed it offensive to Christianity.)

Malaysia

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James (The entire trilogy was banned in Malaysia from 2015 for containing "sadistic" material and "threat to morality".)

Add:

Morocco

Notre Ami Le Roi by Gilles Perrault (Banned in Morocco. This book is a biography of King Hassan and examines cases of torture, killing, and political imprisonment said to have been carried out by the Moroccan Government at his orders.)

New Zealand

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Pub 1955, French officials banned it for being "obscene," as did the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand (uncensored 1964) and South Africa.)

Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan (Banned in Ireland in 1958. It was banned in Australia and New Zealand shortly after. It was allowed to be published in New Zealand in 1963.)

The Peaceful Pill Handbook by Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart (Initially banned in New Zealand by Office of Film & Literature Classification since it was deemed to be objectionable. In May 2008 an edited version of the book was allowed for sale if sealed and an indication of the censorship classification was displayed.)

Into the River by Ted Dawe (Banned in New Zealand in 2015; subsequently unrestricted in the same year.)

Add:

North Korea
Censorship in North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is the most intense among the world. It is very strictly controlled by the government. It is routinely at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index Rankings published annually by Reporters Without Borders. From 2007 to 2013 North Korea has been listed second last of the 177 countries, and from 2002 through 2006 it was listed the worst in the world. In the report of '2015 Worldwide Press Freedom Index', Reporters Without Borders reported North Korea is second to the worst country next to Eritrea that has suppression of the press, which means there is no change in North Korea's inadequate press situation. [1] [2]

All media outlets are strictly owned and controlled by the North Korean government. As such, every media in North Korea gets its news from the Korean Central News Agency. The media dedicates a large portion of its resources toward political propaganda and promoting the personality cult of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il[3] and Kim Jong-un. Government of Kim Jong-un still has the absolute control authority over the press and information. [4]



Animal Farm by George Orwell (The book is still banned in North Korea.)

Pakistan

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

The Truth About Muhammad by Robert Spencer (On December 20, 2006, the government of Pakistan announced a ban on Spencer's book, citing "objectionable material" as the cause.)

Jinnah of Pakistan by Stanley Wolpert (Banned in Pakistan for recounting Jinnah¡¯s taste for wine and pork.)

Rangila Rasul by Pt.M.A. Chamupati (Currently banned in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.)

Poland

Mirror of the Polish Crown by Sebastian Miczy¨½ski (Because this pamphlet published in 1618 was one of the causes of the anti-Jewish riots in Cracow, it was banned by Sigismund III Vasa.)

Ferdydurke "Deemed scandalous and subversive by Nazis. Stalinists. and the Polish Communist regime in turn. the novel (as well as all of Gombrowicz's other works) was officially banned in Poland for decades." [per book description; need to check and add the rest of the works.]

Portugal

Qatar

The Boys comics by Garth Ennis (Banned in Qatar in 2012.)

The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up by Jacob M. Appel (Banned in Qatar in 2014 for its depiction of Islam.)

Russia/USSR

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (In 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin was banned in Russia under the reign of Nicholas I because of the idea of equality it presented, and for its "undermining religious ideals.")

Rights of Man by Thomas Paine (Banned in Tsarist Russia after the Decembrist revolt.)

Animal Farm by George Orwell (Once published in 1945, the book was banned in the USSR and other communist countries.)

1984 by George Orwell (Banned by the Soviet Union in 1950, as Stalin understood that it was a satire based on his leadership. It was not until 1990 that the Soviet Union legalized the book and it was re-released after editing.)

The First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (After Nikita Khrushchev was removed from power in 1964, all current and future works by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn were banned in the Soviet Union.)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, same. (Banned from publication in the Soviet Union in 1964.)

The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956, same. (Banned in the Soviet Union because it went against the image the Soviet Government tried to project of itself and its policies. However, it has been available in the Soviet Union since at least the 1980s. In 2009, the Education Ministry of Russia added The Gulag Archipelago to the curriculum for high-school students.)

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (Banned in some European nations and the Russian Federation as extremist.)

Apocalypse Culture by Adam Parfrey (Banned in Russia in July of 2006 by court order for propaganda of drug use, after its first and only Russian publication by "UltraCulture" publishing (§µ§Ý§î§ä§â§Ñ.§¬§å§Ý§î§ä§å§â§Ñ). All the printed copies of that Russian edition were destroyed.)

Add:

Saudi Arabia

Books, newspapers, magazines, broadcast media and Internet access are censored in Saudi Arabia.

In 2014, Reporters Without Borders describes the government as "relentless in its censorship of the Saudi media and the Internet", and ranked Saudi Arabia 164th out of 180 countries for freedom of the press.

South Africa

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (Pub 1934, banned in South Africa until the late 1980s.)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Banned in apartheid South Africa in 1955 for containing "obscene" or "indecent" material.)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Pub 1955, French officials banned it for being "obscene," as did the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa.)

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (Banned in South Africa during Apartheid.)

The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey (Banned during apartheid in South Africa from 1973 to 1993 for moral reasons.)

Burger's Daughter by Nadine Gordimer (Banned in South Africa in July, 1979 for going against the government's racial policies; the ban was reversed in October of the same year.)

July's People, same (Banned during the Apartheid-era in South Africa. July's People is now included in the South African school curriculum.)

South Korea

Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang (One of 23 books which from August 1, 2008 onward is banned for distribution within the South Korean military.)

A Spoon on Earth by Hyeon Gi-yeong (One of 23 books which from August 1, 2008 onward is banned for distribution within the South Korean military.)

Year 501: The Conquest Continues by Noam Chomsky (One of 23 books which from August 1, 2008 onward is banned for distribution within the South Korean military.) [No idea what the other 20 books were. The military apparently keeps a running list of seditious books soldiers are not allowed to possess.]

Spain

The Death Of Lorca by Ian Gibson (Banned briefly in Spain)

Thailand

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

The Devil's Discus by Rayne Kruger (Banned in Thailand in 2006.)

The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej by Paul M. Handley (Banned in Thailand for its criticism of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.)

Tunisia

Add:

Turkey

The Imam's Army (Ooo Kitap) by Ahmet ??k (??k was detained in March 2011, before the book was published, and the draft book was seized by the government and banned, claiming it was an "illegal organizational document" of the secret organization Ergenekon. ??k was detained pending trial, being eventually released pending trial in March 2012. In the interim, in an act of anti-censorship defiance, a version of the book was released in November 2011 under the name 000Kitap (000Book), edited by 125 journalists, activists and academics, and published by Postac? Publishing House.)

The Colors of the Rainbow by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos [In 2015, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey recalled 50,000 books and will decide which books to destroy books not in keeping with cultural criteria. T?B?TAK has already decided to cancel publication of the Turkish translation of this book. Books which pass review will be given back to bookstores. Thanks to Matt for this information.]

UK

Areopagitica by John Milton (1644; banned in the Kingdom of England for political reasons.)

Venus in the Cloister or The Nun in her Smock by Edmund Curll (The conviction in 1727 of Edmund Curll for this publication under the common law offence of disturbing the King's peace was the first conviction for obscenity in Great Britain, and set a legal precedent for other convictions.)

Rights of Man by Thomas Paine (Banned in the UK and author charged with treason for supporting the French Revolution.)

The Happy Land by W.S. Gilbert (In 1873, controversy over the depiction of William Ewart Gladstone, Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, and Acton Smee Ayrton in this play led to the play's licence being revoked by the Lord Chamberlain. A censored version of the play was eventually allowed to be performed, but uncensored scripts, with the censored portions printed in all capital letters, were printed by the theatre's manager. The play became a smash hit.)

Ulysses by James Joyce (In 1922, banned in the United Kingdom when it was declared obscene.)

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall (Banned in the UK in 1928 for its lesbian theme; republished in 1949.)

Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (Temporarily banned in the United States and the United Kingdom for violation of obscenity laws; both bans were lifted in 1959 and 1960, respectively.)

Animal Farm by George Orwell (Completed in 1943, Orwell found that no publisher would print the book, due to its criticism of the U.S.S.R., an important ally of Britain in the War.)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Pub 1955, French officials banned it for being "obscene," as did the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa.)

Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. (Several controversial books and publications were the subject of British court cases throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s; this 1964 novel was the subject of a private prosecution in 1966.) [Thanks to Derek for pointing this one out.]

Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer by Peter Maurice Wright (Banned in the UK 1985¨C1988 for revealing secrets. Wright was a former MI5 intelligence officer and his book was banned before it was even published in 1987.)

The Housekeeper's Diary: Charles and Diana Before the Breakup by Wendy Berry (In 1995, Prince Charles obtained a court injunction that prevented his former housekeeper from publishing her tell-all book about his marital troubles. After publishing her book in the United States, Berry left the UK to avoid contempt-of-court charges.)

"Education for Leisure" by Carol Ann Duffy (Until 2008 the poem was studied at GCSE level in England and Wales as part of the AQA Anthology, a collection of poems by modern poets such as Duffy and Seamus Heaney. In 2008, the poem was removed from the AQA Anthology, after complaints were received. The poem explores the mind of a person who is planning to commit a murder. AQA is a registered charity and independent of the government. However, its qualifications and exam syllabi are regulated by the Government of the United Kingdom, which is the regulator for the public examinations system in England and Wales.)

PandaLeaks: The Dark Side of the WWF by Wilfried Huismann (Between 2012 and October 2014, the book was "barred from Britain".)

See

USA

Federal:

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (Banned from the U.S. mail under the Federal Anti-Obscenity Act (Comstock Law) of 1873, which banned the sending or receiving of works containing "obscene," "filthy," or "inappropriate" material.)

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (Banned from the U.S. mail under the Federal Anti-Obscenity Act (Comstock Law) of 1873.)

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (Banned from the U.S. mail under the Federal Anti-Obscenity Act (Comstock Law) of 1873.)

Homo Sapiens by Stanis?aw Przybyszewski (Pub 1895-96 in Germany, withdrawn from sale by its U.S. publisher after being labelled obscene.)

Candide by Voltaire (Seized by US Customs in 1930 for obscenity.)

Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (Temporarily banned in the United States and the United Kingdom for violation of obscenity laws; both bans were lifted in 1959 and 1960, respectively.)

Memoirs of Hecate County by Edmund Wilson (Banned in the United States until 1959.)

Ulysses by James Joyce (Written over a seven-year period from 1914 to 1921, the novel was serialised in the American journal The Little Review from 1918 to 1920, when the publication of the Nausica? episode led to a prosecution for obscenity. At a trial in 1921 the magazine was declared obscene and, as a result, Ulysses was effectively banned in the United States. Throughout the 1920s, the United States Post Office Department burned copies of the novel. In 1933 the ban was overturned in United States v. One Book Called Ulysses in US District Court. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling in 1934. The US therefore became the first English-speaking country where the book was freely available.)

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (Banned in the U.S.A in the 1930s until the 1964, seized by US Customs for sexually explicit content and vulgarity. The rest of Miller's work was also banned by the United States. The publication of Miller's Tropic of Cancer in the United States in 1961 by Grove Press led to a series of obscenity trials that tested American laws on pornography. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Grove Press, Inc., v. Gerstein, citing Jacobellis v. Ohio (which was decided the same day in 1964), overruled the state court findings of obscenity and declared the book a work of literature.) [The other banned works were: [book:Black Spring|51089], Tropic of Capricorn, Quiet Days in Clichy, Sexus, Plexus, and Nexus]

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (The book was originally published with the title The Naked Lunch in Paris in July 1959 by Olympia Press. Because of US obscenity laws, a complete American edition (by Grove Press) did not follow until 1962.) [Thanks to Nate for bringing this one to light.]

Fanny Hill by John Cleland (Banned in the U.S.A. in 1821 for obscenity, then again in 1963. This was the last book ever banned in the U.S.A.) [Until 2004; see below.]

The Pentagon Papers (U.S. President Nixon attempted to suspend publication of classified information. The restraint was lifted by the US Supreme Court in a 6¨C3 decision. See also New York Times Co. v. United States.)

Federal Mafia: How It Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes by Irwin Schiff (An injunction was issued by a U.S. District Court in Nevada under 26 U.S.C. ¡ì 7408 against Irwin Schiff and associates Cynthia Neun and Lawrence Cohen, against the sale of this book by those persons as the court found that the information it contains is fraudulent.) [Injunction was issued in 2004 against the sale only; Schiff and his associates responded by providing the book for free on their website, which is permitted.]

Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Operations on the Front Lines of Afghanistan by Anthony Shaffer (In September 2010 the U.S. Department of Defense overrode the Army's January approval for publication. The DoD then purchased and destroyed all 9,500 first edition copies citing concerns that it contained classified information which could damage the integrity of U.S. National Security. The publisher, St. Martin's Press, in conjunction with the DoD created a censored second edition; which contains blackened out words, lines, paragraphs, and even portions of the index.)

States:

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Banned in the Confederate States during the Civil War because of its anti-slavery content.)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (Banned in several U.S. states: in 1972, it was banned in Strongsville, Ohio (overturned in 1976); in 1974, it was banned in Dallas, Texas and in Snoqualmie, Washington in 1979, because it has several references to women as "whores".)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Was temporarily banned in many places in the US. In the state of California in which it was partially set, it was banned for its alleged unflattering portrayal of area residents.)

Municipal:

The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption by William Pynchon (The first book banned in the New World. Pynchon, a prominent leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who, in 1636, founded the City of Springfield, Massachusetts, wrote this explicit critique of Puritanism, published in London in 1650. That year, several copies made their way back to the New World. Pynchon, who resided in Springfield, was unaware that his book suffered the New World's first book burning, on the Boston Common. Accused of heresy by the Massachusetts General Court, Pynchon quietly transferred ownership of the Connecticut River Valley's largest land-holdings to his son, and then suffered indignities as he left the New World for England. It was the first work banned in Boston.)

Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis (Banned in Boston, Massachusetts, Kansas City, Missouri, Camden, New Jersey and other U.S. cities.)

Howl by Allen Ginsberg (Copies of the first edition seized by San Francisco Customs for obscenity in March 1957; after trial, obscenity charges were dismissed.)

Yugoslavia

"About a Silence in Literature" - essay by ?ivorad Stojkovi? (Banned in Yugoslavia by court order in 1951.)

Curved River by ?ivojin Pavlovi? (In 1963 in Yugoslavia withdrawn by the publisher (Nolit) at request of SDB officials.)

Storytellers II by Bo?ko Novakovi? (Withdrawn from print in Yugoslavia in 1964 because it contained stories by Dragi?a Vasi?.)

Dictionary of Modern Serbo-Croatian Language by Milo? Moskovljevi? (Banned in Yugoslavia by court order in 1966, at request of Mirko Tepavac, because "some definitions can cause disturbance among citizens".)

A Message to Man and Humanity by Aleksandar Cvetkovi? (Banned in Yugoslavia by court order in 1967 for "false and wicked claims, and enemy propaganda that supports pro-Chinese politics".)

On Fierce Wound ¨C Fierce Herb by Rastko Zaki? (Withdrawn from sales and destroyed after the decision of the Municipal Committee of the League of Communists of Kraljevo in Kraljevo, Yugoslavia in 1967.)

Thoughts of a Corpse by Prvoslav Vuj?i? (Banned in Yugoslavia by court order in 1983; republished in 2004.)

Castration of the Wind by Prvoslav Vuj?i? (Written in Tuzla prison in 1984. Banned in Yugoslavia by court order in 1984; republished in 2005.) [Cannot locate this man's books. Web presence at )]

Additional countries

Argentina
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Pub 1955, French officials banned it for being "obscene," as did the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa.)

Austria
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (In Austria, the Verbotsgesetz 1947 prohibits the printing of the book. It is illegal to own or distribute existing copies.)

Egypt

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Pub 1988; banned in the following countries for alleged blasphemy against Islam: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.)

Feast for the Seaweeds by Haidar Haidar (Banned in Egypt and several other Arab states, and even resulted in a belated angry reaction from the clerics of Al-Azhar University upon reprinting in Egypt in the year 2000. The clerics issued a Fatwa banning the novel, and accused Haidar of heresy and offending Islam. Al-Azhar University students staged huge protests against the novel, that eventually led to its confiscation.)

Norway
The Song Of The Red Ruby by Agnar Mykle (Pub 1957. Mykle and his publisher Harald Grieg were accused of writing and publishing immoral and obscene material. Mykle and Grieg were both acquitted, but the remaining copies of the book were ordered withdrawn from the market. The Norwegian Supreme Court overturned the ruling on the confiscation in 1958.) [Thanks to Matt for pointing this out.]

Without a Stitch by Jens Bj?rneboe (In 1967, the author was convicted for publishing a novel deemed pornographic, Without a Stitch (Uten en tr?d, 1966), which was confiscated and banned in Norway. The trial, however, made the book a huge success in foreign editions, and Bj?rneboe's financial problems were (for a period) solved.) [Thanks again to Matt.]

United Arab Emirates
Animal Farm by George Orwell (In 2002, the novel was banned in the schools of the United Arab Emirates, because it contained text or images that goes against Islamic values, most notably the occurrence of an anthropomorphic, talking pig.)

Vietnam
Animal Farm by George Orwell (The book is still banned in North Korea, and censored in Vietnam.)

Banned by the Catholic Church: Papal States

The Index Librorum Prohibitorum (English: List of Prohibited Books) was a list of publications deemed heretical, anti-clerical or lascivious, and therefore banned by the Catholic Church. The first version (the Pauline Index) was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, ... which lasted less than a year, being then replaced by ... the Tridentine Index.... The 20th and final edition appeared in 1948, and the Index was formally abolished on 14 June 1966 by Pope Paul VI.

Roman Catholic authors had the opportunity to defend their writings and could prepare a new edition with necessary corrections or deletions, either to avoid or to limit a ban. Pre-publication censorship was encouraged.

The Index was enforceable within the Papal States (territories in the Italian Peninsula under the sovereign direct rule of the pope, from the 8th century until 1870), but elsewhere only if adopted by the civil powers, as happened in several Italian states.

Add:

Complete list of works prohibited by the Index:

Nazi Germany:

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Banned in Nazi Germany for being demoralizing and insulting to the Wehrmacht.)

Snorri the Seal by Frithjof Saelen (Satirical book banned during the German occupation of Norway.) [Banned in Norway by Germany, so I'm putting it under Germany for the ban.]

The official list of banned authors was published by the Reichsministerium f¨¹r Volksaufkl?rung und Propaganda. Authors, living and dead, were placed on the list because of Jewish descent, or because of pacifist or communist sympathies or suspicion thereof. In May and June 1933, in the first year of the Nazi government, there were book burnings. After World War II started, Germans created indexes of prohibited books in countries they occupied, of works in languages other than German. For example, in occupied Poland, an index of 1,500 prohibited authors was created. ()

Alfred Adler [[book:The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology|12701861], Understanding Human Nature, Study of Organ Inferiority and Its Psychical Compensation: A Contribution to Clinical Medicine, The Education of Children, Understanding Life]

Hermann Adler (all works)

Max Adler (all works)

Raoul Auernheimer [Josef-Kainz-Gedenkbuch]

Otto Bauer (all works)

Vicki Baum:
1919 Fr¨¹he Schatten (Early Shadow)
1920 Der Eingang zur B¨¹hne (The Entrance to the Stage)
1921 Die T?nze der Ina Raffay (The Dances of Ina Raffay, republished as Kein Platz F¨¹r Tr?nen in 1982)
1922 Die anderen Tage (The Other Days) -- novel
1923 Die Welt ohne S¨¹nde (The World Without Sin)
1924 Ulle der Zwerg (Ulle the Dwarf)
1926 Tanzpause (Pause in the Dance)
1927 Hell in Frauensee (Martin's Summer)
1927 Feme
1928 Stud. chem. Helene Willf¨¹er: Roman (Helene)
1929 Menschen im Hotel (Grand Hotel)
1930 Zwischenfall in Lohwinkel (Incident in Lohwinkel, Results of an Accident)
1930 Miniaturen (Miniatures)
1931 Pariser Platz 13 ("13 Paris Square")
1932 Leben ohne Geheimnis (Published in the UK and US as Falling Star, 1934)
1935 Das gro?e Einmaleins / Rendezvous in Paris (The Great Multiplication / Rendezvous in Paris)
1936 Die Karriere der Doris Hart (The Career of Doris Hart)
1937 Liebe und Tod auf Bali (Love and Death in Bali)
1937 Hotel Shanghai.
1937 Der gro?e Ausverkauf (The Big Sell-Off)
1939 Die Grosse Pause (The Big Break)
1940 Es begann an Bord (The ship and the shore or It Began On Board)
1941 Marion lebt (Marion Alive; republished as Marion in 1954)

Johannes R. Becher

Richard Beer-Hofmann (all works)

Walter Benjamin (all works)

Walter Arthur Berendsohn

Ernst Bloch

Felix Braun

Bertolt Brecht

Willi Bredel
Die Prufung
Die Vitalienbr¨¹der. Ein St?rtebeker Roman
§´§Ó§à§Û §ß§Ö§Ú§Ù§Ó§Ö§ã§ä§ß§í§Û §Ò§â§Ñ§ä

Hermann Broch
The Sleepwalkers
The Unknown Quantity

Ferdinand Bruckner
Der Herr in den Nebeln
Pains of Youth
Die Verbrecher
Elisabeth von England
Die Rassen

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