Frances Pinter

For centuries, even millennia, book-burning has been used as a means to make a statement. What occurs is not merely book destruction; it is about power and symbolism. How successful are book burnings in achieving their goals? How different is burning from banning? And how different are both from digital removal? This project looks at books, these durable vessels of information and knowledge and how studying the impact of burning them in the context of changing technologies of book production and rising literacy levels helps us understand the power of knowledge. The story begins in 1300 BC and concludes with takedowns off the Internet today.