Banned Book List

NB1534                NB1647

NB 1642                MR480

Bob in Florida sent me a copy of a fascinating letter written by the Chief Inspector of the New York City Police Department in 1963 that lists banned books.

(Click an image for a larger view.)

Bob informed me that he is a retired, third-generation NYC police officer. He found the letter while going through his father's effects.

The letter's author was Sanford D. Garelik. From everything I've read online, he was fairly well respected by the officers he represented, as well as the community as a whole. He would later make an unsuccessful run for NYC mayor.

It is of note that the area outlined in the letter was known for its adult bookstores (and other adult entertainment) during the mid-to-late 20th Century. Centered on West 42nd Street in Manhattan, it included Times Square.

I am presenting the covers of listed books that I own. Nightstand Books and Midnight Reader were both labels of Greenleaf Publications, which was owned by William Hamling. Chief editor was Earl Kemp.

The first book on the list, College for Sinners, was written by Lawrence Block under the house pseudonym "Andrew Shaw."

You can find more on Greenleaf in other BookScans "Paperback Oddities," HERE and HERE.

Little nifties from the Fifties, innocent and sweet

Sexy ladies from the Eighties, who are indiscreet

Side by side, they're glorified

Where the underworld can meet the elite

Naughty, bawdy, gawdy, sporty

Forty, Forty-Second Street

-From the musical 42nd Street

by Al Dubin & Harry Warren