Book Burning - Legal or Illegal?

[GinandTonic]

Clearly it should be legal. If you burn a Gutenberg Ill swear and curse. The legal deposit liberaries around the world insure no private individual has the ability to burn the last copy of any book.

 

[JollyRoger]

What if its a book of flags?

I was going to write a novel that would offend most Conservatives to the extent that some would want to burn it. I was going to have the cover be an American flag so I could have a good laugh when the burnings began.

 

[Bast]

If a book (or document) is special (for uniqueness especially) enough that it is generally considered "belonging to us all" than I support forbidding to burn that specific book. Examples: Book of Kells, The Dutch Constitution of 1579, Leonardo's Codex Trivulzianus, etc.
Me burning my copy of this book should not be forbidden - for example.

Well that's generally the idea.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

If you paid for the book do whatever you want.
It's the same as flag burning - incredibly stupid, but not illegal.

 

[tomsnowman123]

The only book that should be burned is Faranheit 451.

I don't see why a law would be made against burning books, rather pointless if anything.

 

[Atlas14]

The only book that should be burned is Faranheit 451.

I don't see why a law would be made against burning books, rather pointless if anything.

Worst book ever. It was so dismal and blah. I would burn Bradbury's book in a hearbeat.

 

[Urederra]

It should be legal, as long as the book is yours.

That doesn't prevent you from looking stupid if you burn books just because you don't like what they say.
'

 

[Tycoon101]

I was going to write a novel that would offend most Conservatives to the extent that some would want to burn it. I was going to have the cover be an American flag so I could have a good laugh when the burnings began.

Don't be silly. Why would we burn a book like that? A show like that would be laughable to say the least.


And so you know, rarely does the author ever choose the cover, the publishing company chooses the cover. So you may very well be shafted in the political statement that you are trying to make.

 

[JollyRoger]

Don't be silly. Why would we burn a book like that? A show like that would be laughable to say the least.

I've seen plenty of book burning in Texas. They obviously don't think too much before selecting which books to burn. If they find anything offensive, it is on the pile.

And so you know, rarely does the author ever choose the cover, the publishing company chooses the cover. So you may very well be shafted in the political statement that you are trying to make.

I know that the author rarely chooses the cover. Nevertheless, the type of publisher that would be willing to publish what I had in mind would be the type to approve and implement my cover concept.

 

[Xanikk999]

It all depends where your doing it and wether its enough to cause a disturbance to other people.

I wouldnt support a huge bonfire made out of burning books as a public display of protest. It would only cause trouble.

 

[GinandTonic]

Don't be silly. Why would we burn a book like that? A show like that would be laughable to say the least.

They burnt Potter. And not just for the derivative narrative devices.

And so you know, rarely does the author ever choose the cover, the publishing company chooses the cover. So you may very well be shafted in the political statement that you are trying to make.

Friend of mine does book covers. She talks to the authors.

 

[emzie]

Book burning is disgusting, no matter what the content. It is just as disgusting to burn 'Mein Kampf' as it it is to burn the Bible or Harry Potter.

But on the same token, people should have the right to be disgusting.

 

[mdwh]

What counts as a book? Does any collection of written pages count?

Is this specifically burning, or any act of destruction? What about just chucking them out?

Also I wonder how this relates to laws on censorhip/possession - the obvious example would be what about a book including child porn? Or also the countries which have laws against various kinds of consensual or fake adult porn (which may soon include the UK) - indeed, this is the complete opposite - rather than saying you can't burn it, the law says that you have to burn (or otherwise destroy) such material, since possession alone is illegal.

 

[MrRats]

Homeless child: Mother, we need to make a fire or we will freeze to death and/or get mugged!

Mother: Sorry Billy, all we have is this copy of Harry Potter and since book burning is illegal, I guess we will have to die.


..Of course book burning should be illegal!

 

[odintheking]

They're my books dammit! I'll do whatever the hell I want with 'em.

 

[Souron]

Only for newer books that don't have hazardous chemicals in the glue, I'd say.

 

[Sidhe]

Book burning is disgusting, no matter what the content. It is just as disgusting to burn 'Mein Kampf' as it it is to burn the Bible or Harry Potter.

But on the same token, people should have the right to be disgusting.

Yep. As long as it's their book I couldn't agree more, even if it does give me the willies.

 

[Shadylookin]

if you own it then it should be legal

 

[Mytigodess]

What a waste of trees! Really, if most books nowadays are stored in a digital file somewhere, burning a book is a moot point because there will always be a copy of it out there that can be respawned an unlimited number of times.

Burning a book may make you feel good to prove a point to whomever you are trying to attract attention, but it solves nothing. You can never suppress an idea whether written or unwritten. Oral tradition has kept more stories alive than book burning has completely wiped out a tale.

 

[Atlas14]

What a waste of trees! Really, if most books nowadays are stored in a digital file somewhere, burning a book is a moot point because there will always be a copy of it out there that can be respawned an unlimited number of times.

Burning a book may make you feel good to prove a point to whomever you are trying to attract attention, but it solves nothing. You can never suppress an idea whether written or unwritten. Oral tradition has kept more stories alive than book burning has completely wiped out a tale.

Well the book burning process is supposed to make a statement, to be symbolic of your beliefs. Its not trying to eliminate all books of that title/author. However some did try that, Hitler for example and the Inquisition conductors.