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Edward De Grazia

Girls Lean Back Everywhere: The Law of Obscenity and the Assault on Genius Paperback – March 2, 1993

by Edward De Grazia (Author)

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De Grazia, the attorney who argued and won the Tropic of Cancer case before the Supreme Court, offers a narrative history of censorship—from the jailing of Emile Zola's English publisher through the suppression of Joyce's Ulysses, down to recent attempts to obstruct works by Miller, Burroughs, Nabokov, and Mapplethorpe.

Print length

832 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage
Publication date

March 2, 1993
Dimensions

5.16 x 1.41 x 8.09 inches
ISBN-10

0679743413
ISBN-13

978-0679743415
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A remarkable tour de force of literary/legal sleuthing, this massive chronicle of the conflict between artistic expression and censorship covers a vast terrain.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A thoughtful, comprehensive and insightful analysis of our society's struggle toward maturity, wisdom and tolerance. It captures the spirit of the judicial decisions, the bitter controversies, and the extraordinary characters whose lives are intertwined with the evolution of our legal and cultural mores." --Geoffrey R. Stone, Dean, University of Chicago Law School

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; 2nd Printing edition (March 2, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 832 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679743413
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679743415
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.54 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 1.41 x 8.09 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,185,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #645 in Literary History & Criticism Reference
- #777 in Gothic & Romantic Literary Criticism (Books)
- #1,046 in Constitutions (Books)

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5 ratings

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William S Jamison

How to disqualify a jury

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 30, 2010

Verified Purchase

I should chime in with the other reviews here on Amazon that this is an interesting history of an interesting social phenomena and especially that it includes the very sort of excerpts that have made such a history clear. Many of those excerpts are from the relevant texts but also there are pertinent transcripts from governmental progress/regress regarding the issue of obscenity in the courts and congress. This book is an excellent source for such materials as well as an overall view of the history. Some of the chosen excerpts are hilarious in retrospect and the book is written to capitalize on this.

6 people found this helpful

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Edwin J. Firmage

Great introduction to obscenity law

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 1, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great introduction to obscenity law. But what really makes the book is the many excerpts from the books that helped make that law.

2 people found this helpful

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George Schaefer

The First Amendment Rocks!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 21, 2000

This is an amazing book. In Girls Lean Back Everywhere, de Grazia gives a good history of censorship in the United States. James Joyce, Henry Miller, William Burroughs, Radclyffe Hall et al, have faced the blade of the censor. Lenny Bruce, The Swedish film I Am Curious, Robert Mapplethorpe and 2 Live Crew are also discussed in this book. This book packs a lot of information about the great (and not so great) literature and art that has been banned in the United States. While some of the work might be mediocre it still most be protected. 2 Live Crew may not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as James Joyce but one should at least have the choice to do so. That is one of the basic arguments of the book. Unless a book or artwork can be shown to be utterly without socially redeeming value, it must be protected by the First Amendment. Some of the court transcription of various trials are fascinating. I came to revere great men such as Barney Rossett and Judge William Brennan (who I paraphrased earlier in the review) for their efforts in making free expression just that: free. It is a book that should be read by lovers of literature and art. It should be read by anyone hesitant to have their First Amendment Rights get Borked. America would be the richer if this book sat on coffee tables all across the country. It strengthened my faith in the First Amendment and strengthened my resolve to fight for its preservation. A book like this should be read in colleges so kids can learn about the Comstockian fools that occasionally muster up steam enough to run amok over the Constitutional liberties the rest of us would like to enjoy.

21 people found this helpful

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hromjak@ibm.net

The best book on censorship.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 29, 1998

All those on the Right on the censorship issue should read this book. Perhaps a few minds would be changed. The story of the two women that brought <Ulysses> out in this country is especially interesting.
---- Al Hromjak

6 people found this helpful

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