1960-1969
     
  • Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence.  Banned in Nelson, BC in 1960. In June 1960, Montreal judge T.A. Fontaine ruled that the novel was obscene due to its "undue exploitation of sexual things" and made it illegal throughout Canada. Critics complained that the obscenity law was too vague.  In 1962, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the novel was not obscene. [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 19; The Case of Lady Chatterley, The Vancouver Sun 20 June 1960, p. 4; 'Lady Chatterley' Granted Clean Bill by Supreme Court, The Vancouver Sun 15 March 1962, p. 1]
  • The Cave by Robert Penn Warren.  In 1960, Mr. M. Timms of Kamloops placed a paper in the library copy of this book stating "Don't read any further.  Do as I did.  Protest at such filth being handed out for the general public to read." [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 19]
  • In 1961, Canada Customs released a partial list of banned books: Only a Woman by Francis Carco, Memoirs of Fanny Hill by John Cleland, Innocence by Harriet Daimler, Panorama of Erotic Literature by Gilles Delfos, Seeds of the Rainbow by Robert Desmond, Long Journey by Dr. H.K. Fink, Madame Cupidon by J.J. Frenay, Gutter in the Sky by Jean Genet, Femmes Ardentes by Frances Gifford, Ardents et Belles by Henry Guils, Memoirs of Frank Harris by Frank Harris, Sex Variants by George Henry, M.D., L'Armee de Volupte and Le Bataillon d'Eros by Le Nismois, Bal de Caresses and La Montagne aux Ivresses by Carol Patterson, Lora La Chienne by J.H. Pellizzary, The Sin Underneath by Bentz Plageman, The Man from Paris and Unrepentant Sinners by Louis Charles Royer, Le Temple de Venus by Michel Sangar, Shadows in Shame by John Taylor, The Wantons by Marcus Van Heller, Book of Limericks by Comte Palmire Vicarion, Woman and Her Master by Jean de Villiot, Love Peddlar by Joe Weiss, Take It Out in Trade by Walter Whitney. [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 21]
  • Physiology of Sex by Prof. K. Walker.  Detained by Customs in September 1961. [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 20]
  • Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford.  Held by Customs, September 1961.  [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 20]
  • Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.  In October 1961, a Vancouver Public Library (VPL) employee phoned Customs to find out if this title was on the banned list, after being previously banned in 1958.  RCMP officers then raided VPL and two bookstores.  They used a "writ of assistance" issued by the Exchequer Court of Canada that allowed them to enter public buildings, commercial establishments and private homes to search for the novel.  One volume was seized at Duthie Books, Vancouver, and the three copies at VPL were recalled and seized when they were returned by library patrons. [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 20; Oct. 14, 1961, The Vancouver Sun 14 October 1986, p. B5; RCMP Swoops on Banned Sex Novel, The Vancouver Sun 14 October 1961, p. 1,2] 
  • Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller.  In October 1961, RCMP searched for this novel while looking for the Tropic of Cancer. [RCMP Swoops on Banned Sex Novel, The Vancouver Sun 14 October 1961, p. 1,2]
  • Bachelor.  In November 1961, Customs and RCMP in Victoria and Nanaimo detained and checked this magazine due to the fact that it contained excerpts from Tropic of Cancer. [The Province 20 November 1961]
  • Beavers Work for Uncle Sam.  In 1962, parents in Kelowna complained about the Ministry of Education's choice of this American text in grade three classes.  The book discussed the contributions of beavers to soil conservation. [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 25]
  • Virgins No More by Orre Hitt.  In March 1962, police in Victoria charged a newsstand operator with circulating obscene literature.  On September 26, the book was found to be obscene due to its sexual content and the operator was fined $20. The magistrate said that "the book had the qualities necessary for conviction as stipulated in a Supreme Court judgment on Lady Chatterley's Lover," and stated that it was "a dreary concoction of sex with a dash of violence and the addition of a slight plot." Victoria Times publisher Stuart Keate had testified that the book was immoral, but was not obscene or pornographic; he also declared that the book had no literary merits.  [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, pp. 23-4; Booksellers Placed in Impossible Spot, The Daily Colonist 17 October 1962, p. 17; News-Stand Man Fined Over Book, The Vancouver Sun 27 September 1962, p. 2]
  • Escapade.  The August 1962 issue of the magazine was banned in BC due to its description of a "spell binding potion" found in the story entitled "Mirage."  This story stated that the ink used to print the magazine contained a hallucinogenic chemical called diphenylphloroamyl-2-benzoat.  The article directed the reader to dissolve two pages of the magazine in wood alcohol and drink the "potion" while looking at pictures of nude women.  Readers were encouraged to write to the magazine and detail their experiences.  This chemical was fictitious; the issue was banned because the ingestion of wood alcohol could cause blindness, paralysis and death.  [Potion Described as Fantasy, The Province 12 May 1964, p. 19]
  • Galaxy.  This science fiction magazine was seized with unnamed "girlie" and imported magazines during a September 1963 police and RCMP raid on two stores and a warehouse belonging to Fraser Book Bin Ltd. [Police Raid City Stores in Obscene Book Hunt, The Province 17 September 1963]
  • Sex Perversion and the Law. Seized with other materials from the Fraser Book Bin, Vancouver, during a police raid by the Morality Squad on September 13 1963.  Police charged Ted Fraser (owner), Eiram Harris (manager), Norman Fell and Don Poirer (employees) for possessing obscene materials for the purpose of distribution.  Sex Perversion and the Law was published by Mental Health Press, and consisted of passages from the Bible, Freud, and Havelock Ellis.  In April 1964 the case was brought to court; in May, the court ruled that the book was not obscene as defined in the Criminal Code and it was returned to the bookstore.  [Obscenity Charges, The Province 2 October 1963; Obscenity Case Adjourned, The Vancouver Sun 5 February 1964, p. 7; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, pp. 27-28]
  • Top Secret, Man's True Danger, Man's Book Periodical.  Among seven imported magazines seized by the RCMP from a grocery store.  The proprietor was accused in September of 1963 of selling obscene literature.  The magazines seized contained stories entitled "Sex and Savagery - Blackmail Babes In Action", "Sergeant Tatnick's Fantastic Love em-up Patrol", and "The Nympho Twins of Earthquake House."  [Just What's Obscene?, The Province 27 November 1963. p. 1]
  • Whip Some More My Lady, Pals of Pain, Sin Teacher, Skidrow Sinners (authors unknown).  In September  1963, police seized these titles from the Fraser Book Bin.  The trial lasted one year; Ted Fraser (owner) and Eiran Harris (manager) were found guilty of possessing obscene materials for the purpose of distributing, and were fined $3,400. [Book Bin Found Guilty of Obscenity Charges, The Province 18 September 1964, p. 21; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 28]
  • In 1963 the B.C. Parent-Teacher Federation unsuccessfully petitioned the provincial government to set up a board to censor obscene publications. The proposed board (to be composed of a lawyer, a librarian, an English professor and a sociologist) would scrutinize books sold in B.C. and ask the distributor to remove items the board determined to be obscene. [PTA Group Seeks Board of Censors, Vancouver Sun 22 November 1963]
  • Centurion.  In October 1964, this literary and humour magazine from the University of Victoria was banned by three Victoria drugstores.  The magazine contained a satirical comic strip that gave instructions on making devices called "goof tubes" and "joy sticks", used to inhale modelling glue. [Varsity Magazine Banned by Store, The Daily Colonist 17 October 1964, p. 17]
  • Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman.  In 1964, there was a request that this book be removed from Vancouver Public Library shelves.  The library moved it to a restricted area, available upon request. [Canadian Compromise for Little Black Sambo, The Province 21 June 1966, p. 21]
  • Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris.  In March 1964, the BC Association for the Advancement of Coloured People asked for this book's removal from the Abbotsford school libraries, as it was considered "offensive to Negroes"; the request was refused.  [Remus Book Censorship Bid Shelved, The Province 20 March 1964, p. 25]
  • Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger.  In October 1964, the mother of a student complained about this book, on the list of "recommended reading" resources in grade eleven classes in Victoria schools.   The school superintendent reviewed the novel and found it perverted and "salacious"; it was then removed from supplementary reading lists.  This action was supported by the school trustees but was criticized by other education officials. [Mom Catches Son in 'Rye': Novel Banned in Schools, The Vancouver Sun 8 October 1964, p. 33; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 28]
  • Candy by Terry Southern.  In August 1965, Vancouver police seized 130 copies from the Fraser Book Bin, although the book had been available for months in other stores.  Reasons for the seizure were that the book contained "undue exploitation of sex."  Previously, Regina police had seized copies after receiving a complaint of obscenity.  Vancouver police did not lay charges and returned the books. [Raid on the Candy Counter, The Vancouver Sun, 9 August 1965; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 29]
  • Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.  A Victoria alderman wanted to have this novel banned from Victoria; it was withdrawn from stores in August 1965.  Police seized a copy from Duthie Books Ltd. on September 21, 1965, on allegations that it was obscene; the bookstore was not charged.  This book is a collection of seven short stories set in the Brooklyn slums; it was felt to be obscene as it contained sex, violence and degradation. In December 1965, a Vancouver court ruled the novel was obscene and Wilfred J. Duthie, owner of Duthie Books, appealed the decision.  Another court hearing was held in secret "in the interest of the public," and on July 13, 1966 the BC Court of Appeal ruled the book was obscene, according to the Criminal Code of Canada.  Duthie, Grove Press, and Dell Publications (the publishers of the novel) appealed to the Supreme Court but were unsuccessful. [Judge Rules Book Obscene, The Province 2 December 1965, p. 2; Book Hearing in Camera, The Vancouver Sun 30 November 1965 p. 31; Book Store Chief Seeks New Appeal, The Vancouver Sun 22 July 1966, p. 12; The Province 14 July 1966, p. 2; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 29, 31]
  • On October 15, 1965, police raided several bookstores and charged the owners with selling obscene literature.  Over 6,476 pocket books and 80 magazines were seized; titles of the seized books included the words "nymphomaniac, harlots, flesh, passion, exhibitionist, lover, lust, bed, huntress, orgy, seductress, sex sinner, stud, trollop, sluts, charlatan, teaser and wildcat."  [Obscenity Case to be Shelved, The Province 18 January 1968, p. 8; Action Against Book Stores Delayed for Appeal Outcome, The Province 19 January 1966, p. 19]
  • Sexus One and Two by Henry Miller. Parts I and II of the Rosy Crucifixion Trilogy.  In January 1966, RCMP seized these books from Pat's News Ltd. in Prince George. Sexus One and Two were also seized in Prince Rupert by RCMP.  Country Court Judge J.T. Harvey ordered the copies forfeited to the Crown to prevent their dissemination. [Miller Books Ruled Obscene at Prince George Hearing, The Province 14 April 1966, p. 8; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 31; Judge Flays Books, Daily Colonist 25 February 1966, p. 16] 
  • Candy by Terry Southern, Mason Hoffenberg by John Dexter, and Sin Go Around (author unknown).  In April 1966, Judge W.R. Kennedy of the Cariboo County Court ruled that these books were obscene.  [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 31; Judge Flays Books, Daily Colonist 25 February 1966, p. 16]
  • Communist China by Felix Greene.  In February 1966, Customs seized this book from John Sullivan, Executive Secretary of the Quakers of Pacific North West, along with several religious pamphlets published by the American Friends Service Committee, at the border.  [Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, pp. 30-1] 
  • The Grass Harp by Truman Capote.  In August 1966, Bob Brennan, Liberal Candidate for Vancouver-Burrard, challenged this recommended grade eleven text because he felt it contained "anti-semitism, anti-negroism and just plain smut."  Education Minister Peterson defended the book. [Peterson Defends School Book Choice, The Province 26 August 1966] 
  • "Defender of the Faith" by Philip Roth.  Short story of army life found in the grade twelve literature textbook Story and Structure. In October 1967, a Victoria school trustee wanted the textbook removed because the story contained the word "fuck" and other "vulgar language." This textbook was used throughout the province's secondary schools. The Victoria School Board refused to ban the book and Duncan school trustees protested to the Department of Education. Education Minister Peterson ordered the Board to reconsider; he also urged the adoption of an alternative textbook, Master of the Modern Short Story. Peterson also asked the American publisher to delete "fuck" and re-issue another edition. In protest of Peterson's actions, seven members of the Secondary English Revision Committee resigned; the British Columbia Teachers' Federation also protested his decision.  Philip Roth agreed to rewrite the story to remove the obscene word. Teachers were then asked to delete the four-letter words or trade the textbook in for the revised edition.  English teachers in Vancouver voted to not edit the story and the Vancouver School Board supported their decision. The BC Assembly of Students proposed a survey that asked teachers how they felt about the Department of Education's decision to replace the textbook with a revised edition.  School superintendents were opposed to this survey and it therefore did not occur.  [Book with Bad Word Never on Reading List, The Province 1 November 1967, p. 32; Request Made to Delete Obscene Word, The Vancouver Province 31 October 1967, p. 12; Group Quits Over That Word, The Province 8 November 1967, pp. 1, 2; Superintendents Have 2-Letter Word for It, The Vancouver Sun 1 February 1968, p. 25; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 34]
  • Playboy.  In October 1967, Vancouver Mayor Tom Campbell asked vendors selling the November issue of Playboy to voluntarily remove four pages of stag movie pictures, to "ensure that children were protected from the pictures."  The black and white pictures showed a man and a woman in "compromising positions."  The Mayor said the pages could be removed and sold separately.  Campbell considered suspending  vendors' business licenses if they did not comply; he also called for a review of the Criminal Code to provide a better definition of obscenity.  Unknown to the mayor, the distributor, Vancouver Magazine Service, had already removed the pages, a voluntary action they undertook after consulting the City Prosecutor's office.  The magazine had already been on sale for a week and approximately 30% of the 8,000 copies distributed in Vancouver had been sold unedited.  Calgary police also called for the voluntary removal of the offending pages; in Edmonton, the magazine had already been removed from the stands.  In Britain, the pages had already been removed from the magazines to avoid possible legal action under that nation's obscenity laws.  [Mayor Wants Stag Pictures Cut, The Vancouver Sun 30 October 1967, p. 2; The Vancouver Sun 31 October 1967, p. 12]
  • In October 1967, the City of Vancouver suspended the Georgia Straight's business license"for gross misconduct in selling issues at city schools", and because it was felt to be obscene; Mayor Tom Campbell claimed the action was not an act of censorship. The business license was later reinstated. [Mayor Wants Stag Pictures Cut, The Vancouver Sun 30 October 1967, p. 2; The Vancouver Sun 31 October 1967, p. 12; The City Cannot Stifle Dissent, The Province 30 September 1967, p. 4]
  • In March 1968, New Westminster City Council refused to grant the Georgia Straight a business license, in an effort to ban street vending.  In June, vendors challenged the ban by openly selling issues on the street in attempts to get arrested.  Dan McLeod, the editor, wrote: "The point that it is legal to sell papers on the street even without a city license derives from our Canadian Bill of Rights and so-called freedom of the press.  This point will eventually have to be established in the courts." [The Georgia Straight: What the Hell Happened?, p. 20, 68]
  • Cavallier.  In August 1968, the American distributor of this magazine, the Kable News Company of New York, asked the Canadian distributor to remove pages 63-68 before putting the magazine on display; the magazine's publisher protested this action.  These pages contained an article, with photographs, about a theatrical production in which the two actors appeared nude. [Nude Men Photos Being Removed, The Daily Colonist 15 August 1998, p. 18] 
  • As of September 1968, the Georgia Straight had been banned in New Westminster, Surrey, White Rock, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Squamish, and Haney.  In Haney, the RCMP seized the papers from a vendor.  [The Georgia Straight: What the Hell Happened?, p. 24]
  • In September 1968, New Westminster City Council passed an addition to the bylaw that made distribution of literature on city streets illegal.  The former bylaw prohibited the sale of literature; Georgia Straight vendors were able to circumvent this rule by asking for donations for their paper.  Jehovah's Witnesses selling religious literature were exempted from the new bylaw.  [Ban Widened on Literature, The Province 4 September 1968, p. 4]
  • Chinese Style, and Lady Susan's Cruel Lover (authors unknown).  Among a shipment of books seized by the Morality Squad on September 18, 1968 from the head office of International News and Books in Vancouver.  The Magistrate read the books and ruled they were "the work of morons - and lousy spellers at that" and declared the books obscene. The defendants, International News and Books and their distributor West Coast News, pled guilty to possessing and distributing obscene literature; one was fined $100, the other $500. [Magistrate to Read Two Paperbacks, The Vancouver Sun 8 February 1969, p. 28; Two Books Ruled Work of Morons, The Province 21 February, p. 6; Mind War: Book Censorship in English Canada, p. 36]
  • The September 27 to October 3, 1968 issue of the Georgia Straight did not contain the regular cartoon, Acidman, because "it comments on a case which is now before the courts and could be in contempt of court, even though it was drawn before the court action was started."  [The Georgia Straight: What the Hell Happened?, p. 23]
  • Kazonk Komix by Peter Almasy.  In November 1968, Peter Almasy, a former Georgia Straight cartoonist, was denied a license to publish this comic book by Vancouver city council.  Council felt that his earlier cartoons were offensive, and they were informed that Almasy also faced previous obscenity charges. [Cartoon License Refused, The Province 27 November 1968]
  • In April of 1969, RCMP seized two tons of magazines and twenty-three cases of books from a Burnaby warehouse because these materials were thought to be obscene.  In December, two hundred cartons of allegedly obscene literature were seized from a Burnaby warehouse and twenty-five retail outlets in Burnaby and Vancouver.  In response, the BC Civil Liberties Association sent a telegram to Solicitor-General George McIlraith asking for an investigation into the RCMP's actions. [The Vancouver Sun, 16 December 1969 p. 66]
  • In May 1969, nine obscenity charges were laid against the Georgia Straight.  Three charges of "inciting to commit an indictable offense" were also laid, regarding an article they published on how to grow marijuana.  In September of 1969, Judge Bernard Isman dismissed three of the obscenity charges.  The dismissed charges included: an interview with a Cynthia Plastercaster, an American artist who makes statues of penises; a drawing of the cartoon "Acidman" that showed his genitals; a cartoon showing a dog urinating on a fire hydrant; and a classified ad in which a man was seeking to perform oral sex on a woman. [The Georgia Straight: What the Hell Happened?, p. 25]
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Last Updated July 2003