ARTICLE 19 Information, Freedom and Censorship <i> edited by Kevin Boyle (Times Books: $22.50) </i>

This detailed, pioneering survey of censorship in various countries mostly confirms our expectations, with countries such as Iran and Ghana leading the list of suppressive societies, but there are surprises, such as Michael Scammel’s inimitable introduction, which suggests that Article 19, a new human rights group founded by the editor, will not only chart censorship but spark intelligent debate on its more subtle forms. Pointing out that censorship can refer to “a power within the soul which represses certain elements in the unconscious,” Scammel asks: “What better image to express the unconscious workings of the mind of a bigot, a tyrant or a prude?”