Banned: Tales from the bizarre history of Australian obscenity

Banned takes us on an unexpurgated journey through the ebb and flow of Australian obscenity. throughout the last century and a half, society in general reacted against what it deemed lewd or disgusting in literature, film, art, tV and personal behaviour. Numerous assorted works, objects and events from the novels of D. H. Lawrence to the sight of a man’s exposed nipples have, at some stage, been officially considered unfit for public consumption. James Cockington takes a fearless look at events both well known (the Eugene Goosens scandal) and more obscure (police raids on ‘immoral’ pyjama parties in Surfer’s Paradise in the 1950s) to discover the frequently absurd attitudes that underpin notions of decency and morality. It is a tale told with wit and dry good humour, enriched by photos and images of the weird ways of wowserism.