Areopagitica: Book Guide, Author and Facts

Areopagitica: A speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing to the Parliament of England is John Milton's famous tract against censorship. Published in 1644, Areopagitica is named after a speech by Isocrates, a fifth century BC Athenian orator. The work is counted as one of the most influential and inspired defenses of the right to freedom of expression in history. It is also a personal issue for Milton who was submitted to censorship himself when he tried to publish his defenses of divorce, radical works for the time that gained no quarter with censors. Distributed as a pamphlet, Milton's powerful arguments against 1643's Licensing Order note that classical Greek and Roman society was never subjected to such censorship, and he uses many classical and biblical references to reinforce his argument.

Quick facts about Areopagitica

• Title: Areopagitica
• Author: John Milton
• First published: 1644
• Genre: freedom of the press, early works to 1800, liberty of the press
• OpenLibrary ID: OL810614W

Where to read Areopagitica

Areopagitica by John Milton is widely available in print, ebook and audiobook editions from major retailers and libraries.

Compiled from public OpenLibrary data. Availability and details can change over time.