More than two-thirds of all books on the Censorship of Publications Board's prohibited list have been un-banned after an appeal by the Labour Party.
A revocation order made by the Censorship of Publications Appeal Board has lifted the ban on more than 400 books which refer to contraception or other family planning matters. Only 187 book titles remain on the prohibited list, along with 270 periodicals, magazines and newspapers.
A Labour Party spokesman described it as the biggest single un-banning since the late Mr Brian Lenihan amended the Censorship of Publications Act in 1967.
According to the Office of Censorship of Publications, the books, some dating back to 1930, were prohibited for being indecent or obscene and/or advocating the unnatural prevention of conception or the procurement of abortion or miscarriage.
They include literary works such as Simone de Beauvoir's Nature of the Second Sex (September 1963) and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (June 1932) by H. G. Wells. Most, however, are either academic or reference books, such as The Encyclopaedia of Sex Practice (June 1941), published by Torch, London, and Old Moore's Almanac (February 1952) published by Blakemore & Co, London.
Among the most recent publications on the list was Boy's Questions Answered (March 1973), a booklet for 9- to 15-year-olds published by the National Marriage Guidance Council in London (which has since being renamed Relate). The publication gave answers to questions such as "Is there anything wrong with petting?" and "What is homosexuality?" and its popularity led it to being reprinted in an updated form in the 1980s.
Strangely, however, the companion booklet, Girl's Questions Answered, was not on the banned list despite dealing with contraception in greater detail.
A spokeswoman for Relate said neither of the books was still in print. Like many others on the banned list, such as Knowledge a Young Husband Should Have (February 1938), The Perfect Wife (July 1936) and The Good Housekeeping Bride's Book (July 1958), they appeared to be very much of their time.
All predate the introduction of the Health and Family Planning Act, 1979, which relaxed controls on the publication of information on contraception.
