National Library of Scotland Banned Books: censorship of the printed word Exhibition

Until 30 October 2011

George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

For as long as there have been books, there has also been book censorship. Over the centuries, thousands of books have been banned, burned, suppressed and prosecuted because they did not correspond to the political, religious or moral codes of the day.

This exhibition looks at some of the reasons for censorship, and how this has changed between societies and over time. From early Scottish proclamations and books censored by the Spanish Inquisition to modern examples such as Lady Chatterley's Lover, Lolita and even Harry Potter, the exhibition features numerous books and pamphlets from the Library's collections - some well-known, some surprising - which have been suppressed or challenged over the years. It also highlights some of the methods used by writers to escape censorship in the past - and the present.

'The key of the universe': Scotland and Darien, 1695 - 1707
Until - 31 August 2011
George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Following the successful inscription of the archives of The Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies on UNESCO’s new UK Memory of the World Register last year, this joint display with The Royal Bank of Scotland tells the story of the company's fateful colonial expedition to Darien (on the isthmus of Panama) in the 1690s.

Treasures on show include the company's private record books, maps and letters from colonists who travelled to the New World.

From Ibookcollector Newsletter # 267