LoreHunting t1_j9efc5q wrote on February 21, 2023 at 9:00 AM

Reply to comment by laurpr2 in Are there any books that you actually would want to see figuratively or literally burned? by [deleted]

Agree with these points.

I would note that there is a significant distinction (that is often lost) between freedom of press and platforming. I would not put the Unabomber’s manifesto in a high school library or go out of my way to encourage people to read it; we shouldn’t encourage high schoolers or people in general to get radicalised by hateful ideologies, and the UK is already seeing the consequences of that. But I do think there is a place for it in the records. There is a place for all written work in the records, be it Nazi rhetoric or weird smutfic.

Organized_Khaos t1_j9h3g87 wrote on February 21, 2023 at 10:50 PM

Okay, I’m down with that. But then I think the Unabomber’s manifesto, or Nazi files, etc. should be something you really do have to work hard to read. Technically available, but in the “black collection” at an archive, where you have to present yourself in person, show your ID, work directly with an archivist, and look at the material on microfiche. An archive that’s open 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays. No physical copies to check out, and no different than what academic researchers do with rare works.