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Freedom of the press Books
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George Haven Putnam
The censorship of the Church of Rome and its influence upon the production and distribution of literature, volume 2 (of 2)
The censorship of the Church of Rome and its influence upon the production and… by George Haven Putnam is a historical study written in the early 20th century. It examines how the Roman Catholic Church’s Index, Inquisition, and related decrees shaped what could be printed, sold, and read, and contrasts these with Protestant and state censorship. The work focuses on the practical machinery of prohibition and expurgation and its consequences for theology, scholarship, and the book trade. The opening of this study maps the territory: first, it surveys seventeenth- and early eighteenth‑century theological controversies in France, the Netherlands, England, and Germany, showing how Protestant writers and even specific “propositions” were condemned through the Index. It then outlines how Scripture was controlled—tracing early printing and Erasmus’s editions, national cases in France, the Low Countries, Spain, and England, the banning of vernacular Bibles, occasional relaxations (1757), and later renewed restrictions (1836). Next, it reviews censorship around the monastic orders: inter‑order quarrels suppressed; extensive debate over Jesuit casuistry and the doctrine of grace (Molina vs. Bañez); the Dominicans’ dominance in censorship and the Reuchlin affair; rules against confession by letter; and disputes between secular clergy and regulars. Finally, it explains the Roman Index under Benedict XIV (1758): its rules, the new reliance on “general decrees” that condemned whole classes of books, examples of notable inclusions and omissions, and the persistent bibliographical and practical limits of the Index system itself.
George Haven Putnam
The censorship of the Church of Rome and its influence upon the production and distribution of literature, volume 1 (of 2)
"The censorship of the Church of Rome and its influence upon the production and… by George Haven Putnam is a historical study written in the early 20th century. It examines how the Roman Catholic Church’s censorship—especially the Index of Prohibited and Expurgated Books and the work of the Inquisition and the Congregation of the Index—shaped what could be written, printed, and circulated. The study also compares Catholic, Protestant, and state censorship and evaluates their impact on the book trade, scholarship, and public opinion. The opening of the work lays out a detailed two-volume plan, then a preface that defines its scope: cataloging Indexes from the mid-16th century to 1900, noting earlier precedents, summarizing key decrees, describing the Roman Inquisition and the Congregation of the Index, and assessing effects on literary production, distribution, and commerce; it also names principal sources (notably Reusch) and explains the method. The introduction traces censorship from an early church ban on the Acta Pauli, shows how printing magnified the stakes, and explains the creation of the papal Index (1559), the more authoritative Tridentine Index (1564), and later practices (including expurgation). It argues the Index doubles as a historical record of literature, outlines how prohibitions affected the value and circulation of books, and notes inconsistencies among different national and ecclesiastical lists. The narrative sketches contrasting enforcement—Spain’s Inquisition as highly effective, France’s Gallican and royal controls more selective, and Italy’s mixed picture with places like Venice resisting Rome. It also touches on limits placed on vernacular Scripture and recurring condemnations of the Talmud, setting the stage for the detailed chapters that follow.
H. H. (Heinrich Hubert) Houben
Hier Zensur - wer dort? Antworten von gestern auf Fragen von heute
"Hier Zensur – wer dort?" by H. H. Houben is a historical publication written in the early 20th century. This work explores the theme of censorship in German literature, particularly the historical struggle between enlightenment ideas and the oppressive forces of censorship that have shaped literary expression. It contextualizes these battles against the backdrop of shifting cultural and political paradigms, illustrating the complex relationship between authors, their works, and the censors who sought to control them. The opening of the text introduces the reader to the historical context of censorship in Germany, detailing its origins, evolution, and the figures involved in the ongoing battle between free thought and restrictive governance. It notes that the author aims to answer pressing contemporary questions by examining previous experiences with censorship, suggesting that understanding the past can provide insights for present-day issues. The author highlights the whims of rulers and how cultural movements were often suppressed or manipulated through bureaucratic means, setting the stage for a deeper analysis of the tension between authority and artistic freedom throughout the publication.
Walter Lippmann
Liberty and the news
"Liberty and the news by Walter Lippmann" is a collection of political essays written in the early 20th century. It is a non-fiction tract that examines how freedom, public opinion, and journalism intersect, with a concise focus on the crisis of news reliability and its consequences for democratic self-government. The book argues that democracy cannot function without a steady flow of truthful, relevant, and intelligible news. It critiques the press for subordinating truth to patriotic edification, shows how classical defenses of free speech (from Milton and Mill to Russell) collapse when facts are missing, and explains how complexity, distance, and propaganda create a pseudo-environment that misleads the public and empowers demagogues. The author shifts the liberty debate from policing opinions to protecting the sources, organization, and comprehension of information. He proposes practical reforms: transparent sourcing and documentation, stronger accountability for falsehoods, professional training for reporters in evidence and language, and independent institutes to record and analyze government and public affairs. He urges universities to support this work and calls for an endowed, editorially neutral news service to compete with biased structures. The core message is that genuine liberty is secured by institutions that make facts accessible and trustworthy, so public opinion can be both free and responsible.
Hilaire Belloc
The Free Press
"The Free Press" by Hilaire Belloc is a political essay written in the early 20th century. The work critiques the contemporary capitalist press, arguing that it distorts information, misleads public opinion, and consolidates power among a wealthy few. Belloc advocates for the significance of a free press as a means to uncover and disseminate the truth. At the start of the essay, Belloc dedicates his work to a friend and reflects on the role of independent media, particularly the papers "The New Age" and "The New Witness," as forces for truth in a landscape dominated by corrupt journalism. He discusses how the great capitalist press arose alongside capitalism itself, detailing its evolution and various corruptions. Belloc emphasizes the necessity of truthful reporting and the ill effects of a press that prioritizes advertising revenue over integrity, ultimately laying the foundation for his argument that the free press can create political reform and public awareness despite facing serious obstacles.
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