This book has been banned numerous times since original publication because of its content. "Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology."…
Shakespeare's play was banned at one time because of adult language and references to mature themes and violence. "The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in the Kingdom of Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old King Hamlet and then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, mother of Prince Hamlet. The play vividly portrays real and feigned madness - from overwhelming grief to seething rage - and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption."…
This play has been banned because of characterization of racial stereotypes. The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. "In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead."…
Shakespeare's play was banned at one time because of adult language and references to mature themes and violence. "The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607."…
Shakespeare's play was banned at one time because of concern over a character dressing as the opposite sex. Twelfth Night is William Shakespeare's "comedy of gender confusion, in which a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores, only to be pursued by the woman he loves."…
Shakespeare's play was banned at one time because of adult language and references to mature themes and violence. "King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is considered to be one of his greatest plays. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king."…
This was challenged and banned because the stories were considered to be "distressing and morbid." "The Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde first published in May 1888."…
This text was banned for obscenity as well as its anti-war sentiment. From Wikipedia: "It is one of eleven surviving plays written by Aristophanes. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, it is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end The Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual gratification from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace - a strategy that, consequently, inflames the battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual politics in a male-dominated society."…
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's works have been banned for being contrary to public morality. Confessions of J.J. Rousseau is an autobiography covering the first fifty-three years of Rousseau's life, up to 1765.…
This title was at one time listed on the Indx Librorum Prohibitorum (List of Prohibited Books) in Rome. "Paradise Lost is an epic poem by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The poem concerns the Christian story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden."…
This novel was removed from dictatorships in Europe during the the 1920s and 1930s. From Wikipedia: "The Call of the Wild is a novel by American writer Jack London. The plot concerns a previously domesticated dog named Buck, whose primordial instincts return after a series of events leads to his serving as a sled dog in the Yukon during the 19th-century Klondike Gold Rush, in which sled dogs were bought at generous prices."…
The use of explicit language in this text has been the reason behind attempted bannings. "Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman. This book is notable for its delight in and praise of the senses during a time when such candid displays were considered immoral. " (via Wiki)…
This book has a very controversial past, due to offensive wording. From Wikipedia: "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in 1884. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written in the vernacular, characterized by local color regionalism. It is told in the first person by Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, a friend of Tom Sawyer.The book is noted for its colorful description of people and places along the Mississippi River. Satirizing a Southern antebellum society that had ceased to exist about twenty years before the work was published, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an often scathing look at entrenched attitudes, particularly racism."…
This text was banned in the seventeenth century for being contrary to the ruling powers of Kings. "Jerusalem Delivered is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso first published in 1581, which tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade in which Catholic knights, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, battle Muslims in order to take Jerusalem."…
This book was banned at one time for its depiction of slavery and for concern over the actions of some of the characters. Published in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was the best-selling book of the 19th century.…
Concern over activities, such as Red Riding Hood bringing wine to her grandmother, caused this title to be removed from some schools. This is a collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm.…
South Africa's apartheid regime banned a number of classic books, reportedly including Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for being "indecent, objectionable, or obscene". This novel was first published in 1818. "Frankenstein" is the classic sci-fi horror tale of an obsessed scientist who assembles a living being from parts of exhumed corpses.…
Gulliver's Travels is a famous satirical novel by Jonathan Swift, first published in 1726. It was originally banned because of the politically sensitive references the author makes in the novel, but the work has also been censured for displays of madness and for being "wicked and obscene, blasphemous, filthy in word and thought". The story recounts the dystopian experiences of Lemuel Gulliver, as he sees giants, talking horses, cities in the sky, and much more.…
This short story collection by Ambrose Bierce was considered pacifist and disturbing and removed from some military libraries.…
This classic has been banned for various reasons, including the animal's abilities to use human language to communicate. Alice in Wonderland is an 1856 novel by Lewis Carroll. "It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world (Wonderland) populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures."…