Ray Bradbury's classic portrayal of a futuristic dystopia where "firemen" actual set fires--to books, in fact--instead of extinguishing them has long had its share of admirers and critics alike. Since its publication in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 has also topped the challenged book lists, particularly in school and young adult libraries.
In Facts on File's Banned Books series, Fahrenheit 451's history is long and storied. Ballantine Books, the original publisher, issued a censored and edited version of the book to be sold exclusively to high schools. Words like "hell" and "damn" and references to drunkenness and abortion were eliminated from the book. No references to these edits were made on the copyright pages, and many people read the novel without ever being aware that an "adult" edition existed. Eventually, Ballantine ceased publishing the original version all together, and even Bradbury remained ignorant of these changes. Finally, in 1979, over 25 years after its initial publication, Bradbury was alerted to the censoring of his book and immediate demanded a recall of the highly edited version.
Since 1980, the complete and original text of Fahrenheit 451 has been the only one available, thanks to Bradbury's demands and the keen eyes of some savvy readers. If you want to read a great indictment against censorship, check out this classic. Or take a look at legendary director Francois Truffaut's film adaptation or a graphic novel interpretation of Bradbury's text .
