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1500
Ovid's Metamorphoses
Metamorphoses is a long narrative poem written by Roman poet Ovid in 8 C.E. It details the history of creation and retells many of the known Greek myths and stories. As it is steeped in Greek and Roman polytheistic religion, the Catholics of 16th century Italy considered this book heretical and publicly burned copies of it and other sinful books. Ovid. (1986). Metamorphoses (A.D. Melville, Trans.). Oxford World Classics. -
The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption by William Pynchon
A criticism of Puritan religion and society, The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption was the first banned book in North America and the first book burned in the American colonies. Pynchon's main point were that obedience was the way to receive God's Grace, not suffering, as the Puritans believed. He also made it clear that he did not agree with the Masschusetts clergy's take on the scripture, making him a heretic. Pynchon, W. (1650). The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption. -
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract is a political treatise written by Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1762. He argued for a democratic society and against the idea that the French monarchs had the sole divine right to rule. This anti-monarchy sentiment resulted in the book being banned and burned in France, Geneva (Switzerland), and other places in Europe. Rousseau, J. (1762). The Social Contract. -
The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto is a political treatise written by philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848. It analyzed class struggle, criticized capitalism, and laid out ideas for socialism. It inspired many Communist revolutions around the world following its publication. In 1933, however, a purge of "un-German" book began in Nazi Germany and Austria led by students. Thousands of books were burned; the first to go were books by Marx. Marx, K. & Engels, F. (1848). The Communist Manifesto. -
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie tells the story of Indian expatriates living in England. There are also dream sequences that retell the life of Muhammad and reference the satanic verses: verses Quranic that discuss three pagan goddesses. This book was criticized by Muslims of being blasphemous. The leader of Iran called for his death, the book was banned in India and other Muslim-dominant countries, and it was burned in protests in the U.K. Rushdie, S. (1988). The Satanic Verses.
