JONES, Derek

PERSONAL:

Male.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Fitzroy Dearborn, 919 North Michigan Ave., Suite 760, Chicago, IL 60611.

CAREER:

Writer and editor. Channel 4, London, England, editor of programme support, 1982-95.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Award for outstanding reference source, American Library Association, 2002, for Censorship: A World Encyclopedia.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) Censorship: A World Encyclopedia, four volumes, Fitzroy Dearborn (London, England), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

Derek Jones is the editor of Censorship: A World Encyclopedia, a four-volume reference source that covers a broad spectrum of topics related to its subject. The book includes entries on subjects ranging from self-censorship to the proliferation of media in various nations, and it provides analysis on topics such as religious and political justifications and the social ramifications of unrestricted artistic expression. In addition, it addresses the social implications of obscenity laws and the complexities of sexual expression. Robert Potts, writing in the Times Literary Supplement, described Censorship as "a liberal publication that …makes no apologies for its sympathies," and he noted that "its range is tremendous, and laudable." Potts affirmed that "the emphasis in the encyclopedia …is heavily biased towards British and American experiences." He added, however, that "the international thrust of the encyclopedia is doubly valuable; it highlights some significant continuities, across history and across different cultures, in the reasons for censorship and the mechanisms by which it is effected."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Choice, June, 2002, W. L. Svitavsky, review of Censorship: A World Encyclopedia, p. 1731.

Library Quarterly, January, 2003, Marianna Tax Choldin, review of Censorship, p. 84.

Reference & User Services Quarterly, summer, 2002, Kevin Grace, review of Censorship, p. 385.

Times Higher Education Supplement, June 21, 2002, Judith Vidal-Hall, review of Censorship, p. 32.

Times Literary Supplement, February 15, 2002, Robert Potts, "Injurious to Truth?," pp. 7-8.*