Summit's Infamous Anti-Obscenity Crusader, Anthony Comstock: Author Will Give Talk

SUMMIT, NJ — Anthony Comstock, perhaps Summit's most infamous resident, built a house on Beekman Road in 1892, at the height of his controversial career of crusading against obscenity, vices, and dirty books.

Comstock's actions got mixed reviews from critics. After he was appointed a special agent of the U.S. Post Office in 1873, he lobbied Congress to pass the Comstock Law, which outlawed sending obscene materials, as well as gambling-related documents, through the U.S. mail.

But some thought he went too far when he arrested the head of an art gallery and similar art aficionados.

Next week, author Amy Sohn will give a talk at the Summit Library in conjunction with the release of her book, Comstock, The Man Who Hated Women. The talk will be in both in person and over Zoom.

The talk may be particularly relevant now.

Eight Women Fought For Their Rights

According to the Summit Library, "Between 1873 and Comstock’s death in 1915, eight remarkable women were charged with violating state and federal Comstock laws. These 'sex radicals' supported contraception, sexual education, gender equality, and women’s right to pleasure."

"They took on the fearsome censor in explicit, personal writing," the library notes, "seeking to redefine work, family, marriage, and love for a bold new era. Amy Sohn tells the overlooked story of their valiant attempts to fight Comstock in court and in the press."

Sohn herself had a controversial early career writing a popular personal column in New York Press, and then published several novels and articles.

Register for the event or get more details here: https://summitlibrary.libcal.com/event/8193892

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