2024 Edition
By Jessica Spring
Tacoma, Washington: Springtide Press, 2024. Unstated edition.
3 x 3.75 inches; 22 pages. Letterpress printed with foil stamped covers. Matchbook construction with double sided accordion extending out.
Jessica Spring: "The first edition of ‘An Inflammatory Guide: Banned & Challenged Books You Should Read’ was printed in 2005, with an update in 2012. This 2024 edition reveals a dramatic increase in challenged and banned books—especially and alarmingly in public libraries.
“A collaboration with sweet pea, the owner of King's Bookstore, this little accordion book expands from within a matchbook-inspired cover that reads "open mind before striking." Banned and challenged books—many familiar and surprising—are organized under eight categories, including LGBTQIA+ and Racism/DEI, with quotes from authors on censorship. A portion of all sales are donated to Freedom to Read Foundation, a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association."
Introduction: “Challenges are formal attempts to remove a book from a library or school curriculum. A successful attempt results in a banned book”