The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder: The First Amendment and the Censor's Dilemma

by Robert Corn-Revere

Beginning in the nineteenth century with Anthony Comstock, America's 'censor in chief,' The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder explores how censors operate and why they wore out their welcome in society at large. This book explains how the same tactics were tried and eventually failed in the twentieth century, with efforts to censor music, comic books, television, and other forms of popular entertainment. The historic examples illustrate not just the mindset and tactics of censors, but why they are the ultimate counterculture warriors and why, in free societies, censors never occupy the moral high ground. This book is for anyone who wants to know more about why freedom of speech is important and how protections for free expression became part of the American identity.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2021

Reviews

[Anna Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very dense and took me a while to get through, but very well done. Defintely a “legal geek” book.

I wish it had been edited better, there were a few copyedit mistakes like single missing quotation marks and parentheses, but it was too well done otherwise for me to take ⭐️s off for that.

[Joan Koster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who cares about the freedom of the human mind.