History of Book and Library Burning1 Antiquity

1.1 Chinese philosophy books (by Emperor Qin Shi Huang and anti-Qin rebels)1.2 Protagoras's "On the Gods" (by Athenian authorities)1.3 Zoroastrian scriptures (by Alexander the Great)1.4 Jewish holy books (by the Seleucid monarch Antiochus IV)1.5 Aeneid (unsuccessfully ordered by Virgil)1.6 Roman history book (by the aediles)1.7 Torah scroll (by Roman soldier)1.8 Sorcery scrolls (by early converts to Christianity at Ephesus)1.9 Rabbi Haninah ben Teradion burned with a Torah scroll (under Hadrian)1.10 Burning of the Torah by Apostomus (precise time and circumstances debated)1.11 Epicurus's book (in Paphlagonia)1.12 Christian books (by Diocletian)1.13 Books of Arianism (after Council of Nicaea)1.14 Library of Antioch (by Jovian)1.15 "Unacceptable writings" (by Athanasius)1.16 The Sibylline books (various times)1.17 Writings of Priscillian1.18 Etrusca Disciplina1.19 Nestorius' books (by Theodosius II)

2 Middle Ages 2.1 Archives of Ctesiphon (during Arab conquest)2.2 Repeated destruction of Alexandria libraries2.3 Qur'anic texts with varying wording (ordered by the 3rd Caliph, Uthman)2.4 Competing prayer books (at Toledo)2.5 Abelard forced to burn his own book (at Soissons)2.6 The writings of Arnold of Brescia (at France and Rome)2.7 Nalanda University2.8 Samanid Dynasty Library2.9 Buddhist writings in the Maldives2.10 Destruction of Cathar texts (Languedoc region of France)2.11 Maimonides' philosophy (at Montpellier)2.12 The Talmud (at Paris), first of many such burnings over the next centuries2.13 The House of Wisdom library (at Baghdad)2.14 Wycliffe's books (at Prague)2.15 Codices of the peoples conquered by the Aztecs (by Itzcoatl)

3 Early Modern Period (from 1492 to 1650) 3.1 Library and archives of the Novgorod Republic (by Ivan III and Ivan IV)3.2 Non-Catholic books (by Torquemada)3.3 Decameron, Ovid and other "lewd" books (by Savonarola)3.4 Arabic and Hebrew books (at Andalucia)3.5 Tyndale's New Testament (in England)3.6 Angelo Carletti's theological works (by Martin Luther)3.7 Servetus's writings (burned with their author at Geneva, and also burned at Vienne)3.8 "The Historie of Italie" (In England)3.9 Maya sacred books (by Spanish Bishop of Yucatan)3.10 "Obscene" Maltese poetry (by the Inquisition)3.11 Arwi Books (by Portugese in India and Ceylon)3.12 Bernardino de Sahagún's manuscripts on Aztec culture (by Spanish authorities)3.13 Luther's Bible translation3.14 Uriel da Costa's book (By Jewish community and city authorities in Amsterdam)3.15 Marco Antonio de Dominis' writings (in Rome)

4 Early Modern Period (from 1650 until the turn of the 19th century)

4.1 Books burned by civil, military and ecclesiastical authorities between 1640 and 1660 (in Cromwell's England)4.2 Earl of Worcester's library (by New Model Army)4.3 Book criticising Puritanism (in Boston)4.4 Quaker books (in Boston)4.5 Great Fire (London)4.6 Hobbes books (at Oxford University)4.7 Swedish National Archives4.8 Mythical (and/or mystical) writings of Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (by rabbis)4.9 Protestant books and Bibles (by Archbishop of Salzburg)4.10 Amalasunta (by Carlo Goldoni)4.11 The writings of Johann Christian Edelmann (by Imperial authorities in Frankfurt)4.12 Books that offended Qianlong Emperor4.13 Anti-Wilhelm Tell tract (at Canton of Uri)4.14 Books by Voltaire4.15 Vernacular Catholic hymn books (at Mainz)4.16 Egyptian archaeological finds (threatened burning by French scholars)

5 Industrial Revolution period 5.1 "The Burned Book" (by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)5.2 Records of the Goa Inquisition (by Portuguese colonial authorities)5.3 The Code Napoléon (by German Nationalist students)5.4 Early braille books (in Paris)5.5 Library of St. Augustine Academy, Philadelphia (by anti-Irish rioters)5.6 Chinese literary works (By Anglo-French troops in Beijing)5.7 Edmond Potonie's papers (by French Police)5.8 "Lewd" books (by Anthony Comstock and the NYSSV)5.9 Emily Dickinson's correspondence (on her orders)5.10 Ivan Bloch's research on Russian Jews (by Tsarist Russian government)

6 WWI and interbellum era 6.1 Leuven University Library (by World War I German Army)6.2 Many books (by Communists in Russia)6.3 Valley of the Squinting Windows (at Delvin, Ireland)6.4 George Grosz's cartoons (By court order in Weimar Germany)6.5 Irish National Archives (in Civil War)6.6 Jewish, anti-Nazi and "degenerate" books (by the Nazis)6.7 Theodore Dreiser's works (at Warsaw, Indiana)6.8 Pompeu Fabra's library (by Spanish troops)

7 World War II 7.1 Norman Lindsay's artistic work (by anti-pornography US officials)7.2 Leuven University Library (by World War II German occupation troops)7.3 Chinese libraries (by World War II Japanese troops)7.4 Works in the British Museum (by German bomber planes)7.5 André Malraux's manuscript (by the Gestapo)7.6 Various libraries in Warsaw, Poland (during World War II)7.7 Books in the National Library of Serbia (by World War II German bomber planes)7.8 Books in German libraries (by World War II Allied bomber planes)

8 Cold War era and 1990s 8.1 The books of Knut Hamsun (in post-WWII Norway)8.2 Undemocratic, militaristic and Nazi books (In Post-WWII Denazification of Germany)8.3 Books in Kurdish (in north Iran)8.4 Comic book burnings, 19488.5 Books by Shen Congwen (by Chinese booksellers)8.6 Judaica collection at Birobidzhan (by Stalin)8.7 Communist and "fellow traveller" books (by Senator McCarthy)8.8 Wilhelm Reich's publications (by U.S. Food and Drug Administration)8.9 Brazil, military coup, 19648.10 Chinese genealogy books (in the Cultural Revolution)8.11 Burning of Jaffna library8.12 The Satanic Verses (in the United Kingdom)8.13 Oriental Institute in Sarajevo (1992)8.14 National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992)8.15 Abkhazian Research Institute of History, Language and Literature & National Library of Abkhazia (by Georgian troops)8.16 The Nasir-i Khusraw Foundation in Kabul (by the Taliban regime)

9 21st Century 9.1 Abu Nuwas poetry (by Egyptian Ministry of Culture)9.2 Independent Librarians (in Cuba)9.3 Iraq's national library, Baghdad 20039.4 Various books (by the Cuban government)9.5 Harry Potter books (in various American cities)9.6 Inventory of Prospero's Books (by proprietors Tom Wayne and W.E. Leathem)9.7 New Testaments in city of Or Yehuda, Israel9.8 Non-approved Bibles, books and music in Canton, North Carolina9.9 2010–11 Florida Qu'ran burning and related burnings9.10 Operation Dark Heart, memoir by Anthony Shaffer (by The United States Pentagon)9.11 The burning of the library in the Institute d'Egypt in Cairo9.12 Suspected Colorado City incident9.13 Qur'ans in Afghanistan

1 Antiquity 1.1 Chinese philosophy books (by Emperor Qin Shi Huang and anti-Qin rebels)1.2 Protagoras's "On the Gods" (by Athenian authorities)1.3 Zoroastrian scriptures (by Alexander the Great)1.4 Jewish holy books (by the Seleucid monarch Antiochus IV)1.5 Aeneid (unsuccessfully ordered by Virgil)1.6 Roman history book (by the aediles)1.7 Torah scroll (by Roman soldier)1.8 Sorcery scrolls (by early converts to Christianity at Ephesus)1.9 Rabbi Haninah ben Teradion burned with a Torah scroll (under Hadrian)1.10 Burning of the Torah by Apostomus (precise time and circumstances debated)1.11 Epicurus's book (in Paphlagonia)1.12 Christian books (by Diocletian)1.13 Books of Arianism (after Council of Nicaea)1.14 Library of Antioch (by Jovian)1.15 "Unacceptable writings" (by Athanasius)1.16 The Sibylline books (various times)1.17 Writings of Priscillian1.18 Etrusca Disciplina1.19 Nestorius' books (by Theodosius II)

2 Middle Ages 2.1 Archives of Ctesiphon (during Arab conquest)2.2 Repeated destruction of Alexandria libraries2.3 Qur'anic texts with varying wording (ordered by the 3rd Caliph, Uthman)2.4 Competing prayer books (at Toledo)2.5 Abelard forced to burn his own book (at Soissons)2.6 The writings of Arnold of Brescia (at France and Rome)2.7 Nalanda University2.8 Samanid Dynasty Library2.9 Buddhist writings in the Maldives2.10 Destruction of Cathar texts (Languedoc region of France)2.11 Maimonides' philosophy (at Montpellier)2.12 The Talmud (at Paris), first of many such burnings over the next centuries2.13 The House of Wisdom library (at Baghdad)2.14 Wycliffe's books (at Prague)2.15 Codices of the peoples conquered by the Aztecs (by Itzcoatl)

3 Early Modern Period (from 1492 to 1650) 3.1 Library and archives of the Novgorod Republic (by Ivan III and Ivan IV)3.2 Non-Catholic books (by Torquemada)3.3 Decameron, Ovid and other "lewd" books (by Savonarola)3.4 Arabic and Hebrew books (at Andalucia)3.5 Tyndale's New Testament (in England)3.6 Angelo Carletti's theological works (by Martin Luther)3.7 Servetus's writings (burned with their author at Geneva, and also burned at Vienne)3.8 "The Historie of Italie" (In England)3.9 Maya sacred books (by Spanish Bishop of Yucatan)3.10 "Obscene" Maltese poetry (by the Inquisition)3.11 Arwi Books (by Portugese in India and Ceylon)3.12 Bernardino de Sahagún's manuscripts on Aztec culture (by Spanish authorities)3.13 Luther's Bible translation3.14 Uriel da Costa's book (By Jewish community and city authorities in Amsterdam)3.15 Marco Antonio de Dominis' writings (in Rome)

4 Early Modern Period (from 1650 until the turn of the 19th century)

4.1 Books burned by civil, military and ecclesiastical authorities between 1640 and 1660 (in Cromwell's England)4.2 Earl of Worcester's library (by New Model Army)4.3 Book criticising Puritanism (in Boston)4.4 Quaker books (in Boston)4.5 Great Fire (London)4.6 Hobbes books (at Oxford University)4.7 Swedish National Archives4.8 Mythical (and/or mystical) writings of Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (by rabbis)4.9 Protestant books and Bibles (by Archbishop of Salzburg)4.10 Amalasunta (by Carlo Goldoni)4.11 The writings of Johann Christian Edelmann (by Imperial authorities in Frankfurt)4.12 Books that offended Qianlong Emperor4.13 Anti-Wilhelm Tell tract (at Canton of Uri)4.14 Books by Voltaire4.15 Vernacular Catholic hymn books (at Mainz)4.16 Egyptian archaeological finds (threatened burning by French scholars)

5 Industrial Revolution period 5.1 "The Burned Book" (by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)5.2 Records of the Goa Inquisition (by Portuguese colonial authorities)5.3 The Code Napoléon (by German Nationalist students)5.4 Early braille books (in Paris)5.5 Library of St. Augustine Academy, Philadelphia (by anti-Irish rioters)5.6 Chinese literary works (By Anglo-French troops in Beijing)5.7 Edmond Potonie's papers (by French Police)5.8 "Lewd" books (by Anthony Comstock and the NYSSV)5.9 Emily Dickinson's correspondence (on her orders)5.10 Ivan Bloch's research on Russian Jews (by Tsarist Russian government)

6 WWI and interbellum era 6.1 Leuven University Library (by World War I German Army)6.2 Many books (by Communists in Russia)6.3 Valley of the Squinting Windows (at Delvin, Ireland)6.4 George Grosz's cartoons (By court order in Weimar Germany)6.5 Irish National Archives (in Civil War)6.6 Jewish, anti-Nazi and "degenerate" books (by the Nazis)6.7 Theodore Dreiser's works (at Warsaw, Indiana)6.8 Pompeu Fabra's library (by Spanish troops)

7 World War II 7.1 Norman Lindsay's artistic work (by anti-pornography US officials)7.2 Leuven University Library (by World War II German occupation troops)7.3 Chinese libraries (by World War II Japanese troops)7.4 Works in the British Museum (by German bomber planes)7.5 André Malraux's manuscript (by the Gestapo)7.6 Various libraries in Warsaw, Poland (during World War II)7.7 Books in the National Library of Serbia (by World War II German bomber planes)7.8 Books in German libraries (by World War II Allied bomber planes)

8 Cold War era and 1990s 8.1 The books of Knut Hamsun (in post-WWII Norway)8.2 Undemocratic, militaristic and Nazi books (In Post-WWII Denazification of Germany)8.3 Books in Kurdish (in north Iran)8.4 Comic book burnings, 19488.5 Books by Shen Congwen (by Chinese booksellers)8.6 Judaica collection at Birobidzhan (by Stalin)8.7 Communist and "fellow traveller" books (by Senator McCarthy)8.8 Wilhelm Reich's publications (by U.S. Food and Drug Administration)8.9 Brazil, military coup, 19648.10 Chinese genealogy books (in the Cultural Revolution)8.11 Burning of Jaffna library8.12 The Satanic Verses (in the United Kingdom)8.13 Oriental Institute in Sarajevo (1992)8.14 National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992)8.15 Abkhazian Research Institute of History, Language and Literature & National Library of Abkhazia (by Georgian troops)8.16 The Nasir-i Khusraw Foundation in Kabul (by the Taliban regime)

9 21st Century 9.1 Abu Nuwas poetry (by Egyptian Ministry of Culture)9.2 Independent Librarians (in Cuba)9.3 Iraq's national library, Baghdad 20039.4 Various books (by the Cuban government)9.5 Harry Potter books (in various American cities)9.6 Inventory of Prospero's Books (by proprietors Tom Wayne and W.E. Leathem)9.7 New Testaments in city of Or Yehuda, Israel9.8 Non-approved Bibles, books and music in Canton, North Carolina9.9 2010–11 Florida Qu'ran burning and related burnings9.10 Operation Dark Heart, memoir by Anthony Shaffer (by The United States Pentagon)9.11 The burning of the library in the Institute d'Egypt in Cairo9.12 Suspected Colorado City incident9.13 Qur'ans in Afghanistan