Roman Catholic Church Related Censorship
Bessette, Gérard, Le libraire (1962); English trans. Glen Shortliffe, Not for Every Eye (1977).
- Novel about a non-conforming bookseller in Québec under the Index régime.
Bethencourt, Francisco. The Inquisition: A Global History (1995); English trans. Jean Birrell (2009).
- Best one-volume introduction to Inquisitions as a global phenomenon, from Rome, Spain and Portugal to the various European colonies.
Black, Christopher. The Italian Inquisition (2009).
- A focused explanation of how the various early modern Italian inquisitions functioned, including the papal inquisition and its censorship activities.
Bujanda, Jesús Martínez de. Index des livres interdits, 12 vols. (1985-2016).
- An indispensable resource for serious researchers, this collection makes full copies of the earliest Indexes available in facsimile editions, while also providing explanatory notes and finding aids.
Fragnito, Gigliola (ed.). Church, Censorship, and Culture in Early Modern Italy; English trans. Adrian Belton(2001).
- An accessible series of essays, drawing from the newly-opened Vatican inquisition archive and written by some of the leading scholars in each field, which reveals the wide range of censorship practices and targets.
Godman, Peter. The Saint as Censor: Robert Bellarmine Between Inquisition and Index (2000).
- Probably the best in-depth examination of a single Church censor’s troubled career, written shortly after the Vatican inquisition archive was first opened to researchers.
Grendler, Paul. The Roman Inquisition and the Venetian Press, 1540-1605 (1977).
- Somewhat dated now, but a classic on how the Church managed the most important press in Catholic Europe.
Mayer, Thomas. The Roman Inquisition: Trying Galileo (2015).
- A re-examination of the Galileo trial, using new documents. Can be used as a starting point in this large field, since Mayer references and responds to the most important previous scholarship on this iconic yet complex case.
Nesvig, Martin Austin. Ideology and Inquisition: The World of the Censors in Early Mexico (2009).
- A closer look at of how Church censorship worked in one colonial setting.
Putnam, George. Censorship of the Church of Rome, 2 vols. (1906).
- A useful, detailed classic but quite outdated; and of course Putnam couldn’t anticipate how the Index would change (and disappear) in the 20th century.
Thijssen, J.M.M.H. Censure and Heresy at the University of Paris 1200-1400 (1998).
- Revealing study of pre-Index censorship of philosophical and theological texts at a leading medieval university.
Vose, Robin, The Index of Prohibited Books: Four Centuries of Struggle Over Word and Image for the Greater Glory of God, (2022)
- Best comprehensive historical account of the Church’s efforts at censorship through the Index
Censorship Generally
Berkowitz, Eric, Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News (2021)
- An accessible and engaging history of how censorship has shaped societies through history.
Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova, 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature, 2nd edition (2011)
- Traces the censorship histories of 120 notable books across the world
Ovenden, Richard. Burning the Books. A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge (2020).
- This cautionary political warning from the Director of the Bodleian Libraries (Oxford) ranges far beyond the Index in its overview of censorship régimes from ancient to modern times.
Petersen, Klaus, and Allan C. Hutchinson (eds.), Interpreting Censorship in Canada (1999)
- Twenty-three contributors examine the extent of censorship in Canada, its structures, and its impact on our political culture. Somewhat dated but useful.
Post, Robert C. (ed.), Censorship and Silencing: Practices of Cultural Regulation (1998)
- Although somewhat dated, this collection of distinguished and interdisciplinary scholars examine the issue of censorship from diverse perspectives, Highly recommended.
Wells, Ira, On Book Banning: Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy (2025)
- A short, engaging examination of censorship from the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today’s state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature and its implications for democracy.
