# Banned books in the UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223 "2003-01-17T14:26:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/1 "2003-01-17T14:26:10Z")
A friend of mine tells me that there are banned books in the UK. By which I mean completely banned from everywhere, rather than just from schools etc. Are there? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/2 "2003-01-17T14:35:13Z")
There was a famous one - Spycatcher was banned because it violated the Official Secrets act, but grey imports of the book flooded the market and I think the ban has now been lifted. I think there are(or have been) publications detailing how to make weapons/explosives/drugs that have been banned, but it’s hard to find details. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/3 "2003-01-17T14:38:20Z")
Oops; I forgot the [link](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440201322/qid=1042814289/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1_1/202-3886515-4895831). ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/4 "2003-01-17T14:38:58Z")
Thanks, I’m having trouble Googling for a definitive answer, there are lists of books that were banned or caused controversy but I can’t find a definitive list. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/5 "2003-01-17T14:40:58Z")
People who ban books are working for the ignorance police. _raises hand_ being a bibliophile, I cannot condone the banning of any books. As for the OP, I’m not sure, a google search only turned up books aon banned books. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/6 "2003-01-17T14:44:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > **People who ban books are working for the ignorance police** In **all** cases? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/7 "2003-01-17T14:55:36Z")
No. I might make a consideration for books published about _Pedophilia for dummies_ or _Incest is Best the Do it Yourself Guide_. ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/8 "2003-01-17T15:02:52Z")
Thanks guys ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/9 "2003-01-17T15:04:35Z")
FWIW, Gartog, I couldn’t find a “list of banned UK books” offhand, either. \<\< shrug \>\> ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/10 "2003-01-17T15:46:24Z")
I believe there was something titled something like, The Terrorists cookbook. This was banned because it was pretty much what it said in the title, and included ways of making bombs from mundane household materials, how to place them to cause casualties, and a whole host of other things. Lady Chatterley’s lover by D H Lawrence was banned in the UK in the '50’s nowadays it is pretty tame, no-one really cares any more. Under the notorious “section something or other” many books are banned in UK schools because they might fall foul of the law that prohibits schools providing materials that promote homosexuality, but it is such a wide interpretation available that seemingly innocuous books are deemed as too much of a risk by schools staff. ‘just in case’.This effectively means the schools are forced to censor themselves. Yup just another reason to hate Margaret Thatcher and her crawling ministerial insects. Banning books is pretty much stupid nowadays with the advent of the internet, and with being able to buy books online from overseas by mail order. You might try looking around some of these links > **[h2g2 - Oops.](https://h2g2.com/alabaster/A679016)** > > h2g2, the Unconventional Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything [http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/index.htm#Archive](http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/index.htm#Archive) Here is the relevant information about the act of parliament which most banned material falls under [http://www.burford.oxon.sch.uk/ks3ict/Code%20of%20Coduct%20link%20pages/obscene\_publications\_act\_1959.htm](http://www.burford.oxon.sch.uk/ks3ict/Code%20of%20Coduct%20link%20pages/obscene_publications_act_1959.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/11 "2003-01-17T15:55:14Z")
I believe you **casdave** are thinking of the _Anarchist Cook Book_ which also tells not only how to make bombs but how to make Hash, and other drugs…came out in the 70’s I think, ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/12 "2003-01-17T16:23:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by casdave \* > Lady Chatterley’s lover by D H Lawrence was banned in the UK in the '50’s nowadays it is pretty tame, no-one really cares any more. That was pretty much a watershed case. It established the principle that is inherently ridiculous to ban a book on the grounds that the public is not sufficiently sophisticated to cope with a sexy plot. Books don’t get banned for that reason these days. > [@](#): > > Under the notorious “section something or other” many books are banned in UK schools because they might fall foul of the law that prohibits schools providing materials that promote homosexuality… That would be Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. It has been [repealed by the Scottish Parliament](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/613023.stm) and last time I checked they were drafting a paper to get rid of it in England and Wales too. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/13 "2003-01-17T16:29:10Z")
Phlosphr, yep, I got that book. Note that some of the recipes in it are a little off. Not that I tried them to find that out 🙂 It’s available on [ebay.com](http://ebay.com) though, I don’t know about [ebay.co.uk](http://ebay.co.uk) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/14 "2003-01-17T16:41:19Z")
I have it too Handy. I got it when I was in college, almost 10 yrs ago. I dabbled in some of the not-so-bad stuff like tips on growing etc…etc… but never the smoking peanut shells, or bananna peels. yuck. I’m not even sure I can find it if I tried looking for it now. p.s. Do you have the most posts of any doper? ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/15 "2003-01-17T17:02:31Z")
Thanks all, DDG if you can’t find a list then there is proabaly not a list to be found. Interesting links Casdave, thanks. I guess this means I won’t have to start a freedom of speech campaign then 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books-in-the-uk/149223/16 "2003-01-17T18:59:03Z")
There are no ‘banned books’ as such. Even Spycatcher was only banned from sale in this country I I had mine brought back by a friend who bought it in New York. Posssession is’t illegal- its dissemination is (or was). This is because of English laws on libel and on rights to use information in publishing. Recent cases- Kitty Kelly’s book ‘The Royals’ was not marketed in the UK because of fears that some of the royals would sue, or that the publishing company would be blacklisted- I had my copy shipped by [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) to a French friend’s address (they wouldn’t mail to the UK direct) and had it mailed from there to me. Michael Moore’s ‘Stupid White Men’ has a special British edition without many of the references to Murdoch as he would sue Moore’s ass in the UK- however, the offendsing material is mentioned in the book and is on Moore’s website. The Minsitry of defence is trying to stop publication of non-friendly memoirs by members of the SAS by claiming the information is crown copyright. Ditto the Home Office and Foreign Office are claiming the same about MI5 and MI6 officers. (Both of the above also rely on the Official Secrets Act which is even more draconian than something dreamed up by Rumsfeld and Ashcroft on a really bad day!) The Royal family, the Blairs and other public eye folk invoke the law of confidence to stop publication of books on them. So the answer is- there is no list of books which are banned from being in Britain, but obtaining them can be difficult and writing books about some subjects can fall foul of our draconian laws which are not overridden by any real right to Freedom of Speech. Future case law growing out of the Declaration of Human rights may see some of these laws trashed, although European laws tend to recognize a much greater right to privacty than is found in the UK. Oh, and Scottish law is different on several of these matters- especially libel, so some books might be legally sold in Scotland, but not England, but this is unlikely because of marketing considerations.