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R V Penguin Books Ltd.
''R v Penguin Books Ltd'' (also known as ''The Lady Chatterley Trial''), was the public prosecution in the United Kingdom of Penguin Books under the ''Obscene Publications Act 1959'' for the publication of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel ''Lady Chatterley's Lover''. The trial took place over six days, in No 1 court of the Old Bailey, between 20 October and 2 November 1960 with Mervyn Griffith-Jones prosecuting, Gerald Gardiner counsel for the defence and Laurence Byrne presiding. The trial was a test case of the defence of public good provision under section 4 of the Act which was defined as a work "in the interests of science, literature, art or learning, or of other objects of general concern". The jury found for the defendant in a result that ushered in the liberalisation of publishing, and which some saw as the beginning of the permissive society in Britain. Legislative and legal background The Obscene Publications Bill was first put before the UK Parliament in 1955 as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allen Lane
Sir Allen Lane (born Allen Lane Williams; 21 September 1902 – 7 July 1970) was a British publisher who together with his brothers Richard and John Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fiction to the mass market. In 1967 he started a hardback imprint under his own name, Allen Lane. Early life and family Allen Lane Williams was born in Bristol, to Camilla (née Lane) and Samuel Williams, and studied at Bristol Grammar School. In 1919 he joined the publishing company Bodley Head as an apprentice to his uncle and founder of the company John Lane. In the process, he and the rest of his family changed their surname to Lane to retain the childless John Lane's company as a family firm. Lane married Letitia Lucy Orr, daughter of Sir Charles Orr, on 28 June 1941 and had three daughters: Clare, Christine, and Anna. He was knighted in 1952. Career as a publisher He rose quickly at Bodley Head, becoming managing editor in 1925 fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Decameron
''The Decameron'' (; or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human Comedy (drama), comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy, Comedy'' "''Divine''"), is a collection of Short story, short stories by the 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375). The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men; they shelter in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death, which was afflicting the city. The epidemic is likely what Boccaccio used for the basis of the book which was thought to be written between 1348–1353. The various tales of love in ''The Decameron'' range from the Erotic literature, erotic to the Tragedy, tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons also contribute to the mosaic. In addition to its literary value and widespread influence (for examp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. He partnered with Richard Seaver to bring French literature to the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its publisher, Morgan Entrekin, merged with Grove Press in 1993. Grove later became an imprint of the publisher Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Early years Grove Press was founded in 1947 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, on Grove Street. The original owners only published three books in three years and so sold it to Barney Rosset in 1951 for three thousand dollars. Literary avant-garde Under Rosset's leadership, Grove introduced American readers to European avant-garde literature and theatre, including French authors Alain Robbe-Grillet, Jean Genet, and Eugène Ionesco. In 1954, Grove published Samuel Beckett's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dial Press
The Dial Press is a publishing house founded in 1923 by Lincoln MacVeagh. The Dial Press shared a building with ''The Dial'' and Scofield Thayer worked with both. The first imprint was issued in 1924. Authors included Elizabeth Bowen, W. R. Burnett and Glenway Wescott, Frank Yerby, James Baldwin, Roy Campbell (poet), Roy Campbell, Susan Berman, Herbert Gold, Thomas Berger (novelist), Thomas Berger, Vance Bourjaily, Judith Rossner, and Norman Mailer. History In 1963, Dell Publishing, Dell Publishing Company acquired 60 percent of The Dial Press's stock but the Press remained an independent subsidiary. It was jointly owned by Richard Baron (1923–2021) and Dell Publishing; E. L. Doctorow was editor-in-chief. In 1969 The Dial Press became wholly owned by Dell Publishing Company. In 1976 Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday bought Dell Publishing and the children's division of The Dial Press (Dial Books for Young Readers) was sold to E. P. Dutton. The children's division of Dial Pres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Secker
Martin Secker (6 April 1882 – 6 April 1978), born Percy Martin Secker Klingender, was a London publisher who was responsible for producing the work of a distinguished group of literary authors, including D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Mann, Norman Douglas, Henry James, Compton Mackenzie, and George Orwell. He began publishing just before the First World War. Secker lived at Bridgefoot House, Iver, Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir .... In 1935, Secker's original firm merged to form the new company of Secker & Warburg. References External links *John Trevitt"Secker, Martin (1882–1978)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 11 Jan 2008 1882 births 1978 deaths Publishers (people) from London People ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject areas are politics and culture. Alongside columns and features on current affairs, the magazine also contains arts pages on books, music, opera, film, and TV reviews. It had an average circulation of 107,812 as of December 2023, excluding Australia. Editorship of the magazine has often been a step on the ladder to high office in the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. Past editors include Boris Johnson (1999–2005) and other former cabinet members Ian Gilmour (1954–1959), Iain Macleod (1963–1965), and Nigel Lawson (1966–1970). The former Conservative MP Michael Gove took over from Fraser Nelson as editor on 4 October 2024. Today, the magazine is a print-digital hybrid. In 2020, ''The Spectator'' became the longest-live ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Select Committee (United Kingdom)
In British politics, parliamentary select committees are cross-party groups of MPs or Lords which investigate specific issues or scrutinise the work of the Government of the United Kingdom. They can be appointed from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, from the House of Lords, or as a Joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, joint committee of Parliament drawn from both. Committees may be constituted as "sessional" committees – i.e. be near-permanent – or as "ad-hoc" committees with a specific deadline by which to complete their work, after which they cease to exist. House of Commons select committees are generally responsible for overseeing the work of government departments and agencies, whereas Lords select committees look at general issues, such as the British constitution, constitution or the economy. Select committees are also one of Parliament's mechanisms for holding the private sector to account. Following the 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theobald Mathew (Director Of Public Prosecutions)
Sir Theobald Mathew, (4 November 1898 – 29 February 1964) was a British lawyer who served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 1944 to 1964, making him the longest-serving DPP. Mathew was born in London, the son of Anna and Charles James Mathew and grandson of Lord Justice Mathew. He was educated at The Oratory School and Royal Military College, Sandhurst. During World War I, he served with the Irish Guards, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1918. He was appointed aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Godley in 1919. Mathew was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1921, but quit the bar to train as a solicitor in 1925, articling at Charles Russell & Co., whose senior partner, Sir Charles Russell, was his wife's uncle. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1928 and became a partner of Charles Russell & Co. In 1941, he joined the Home Office, and in 1942 became head of its Criminal Division. He was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions in October 194 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Director Of Public Prosecutions (England And Wales)
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the third most senior public prosecutor in England and Wales, ranking after the Attorney General for England and Wales, attorney general and Solicitor General for England and Wales, solicitor general. First created in 1879, the office was merged with that of the Treasury Solicitor five years later, before again becoming independent in 1908. The director's department and role underwent modernisation from 1944 to 1964 under Theobald Mathew (Director of Public Prosecutions), Sir Theobald Mathew QC, and further expansion with the introduction of the CPS in 1985, which came under the authority of the director. Today, the incumbent bears personal responsibility for 7,000 CPS staff and the approximately 800,000 prosecutions undertaken by it every year. The director reports to the attorney general, who answers for the CPS in Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament and makes appointment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Innocent Dissemination
A person who is found to have published a defamatory statement may evoke a defence of innocent dissemination, which absolves them of liability provided that they had no knowledge of the defamatory nature of the statement, and that their failure to detect the defamatory content was not due to negligence. The defence, sometimes also known as "mechanical distributor", is of concern to Internet Service Providers because of their potential liability for defamatory material posted by their subscribers. Background The basic rule is that everyone involved in any way in the production or dissemination of defamatory material is liable as having published it. This is because defamation is a tort of strict liability. It can be committed unwittingly by reason of the existence of facts and circumstances unknown to the publisher of the defamatory statement. However, some forms of distribution or dissemination are so mechanical that a distributor ought not to be held liable unless he/she ought to h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hicklin Test
The Hicklin test is a legal test for obscenity established by the English case ''R. v Hicklin'' (1868). At issue was the statutory interpretation of the word "obscene" in the Obscene Publications Act 1857, which authorized the destruction of obscene books. The court held that all material tending "to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences" was obscene, regardless of its artistic or literary merit. History The modern English law of obscenity began with the Obscene Publications Act 1857, also known as Lord Campbell's Act. Lord Campbell, the Chief Justice of Queen's Bench, introduced the bill, which provided for the seizure and summary disposition of obscene and pornographic materials. The Act also granted authority to issue search warrants for premises suspected of housing such materials. ''Regina v Hicklin'' involved one Henry Scott, who resold copies of an anti-Catholic pamphlet entitled "The Confessional Unmasked: shewing the depravity of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
