ORDER OF FRENCH BOOKS IS BARRED

Charged with being imported in violation of the Tariff Act of 1922 as books of an "obscene nature", an order of 375 volumes sent from the Librairie Ernest Flammerion of Paris, France, and consigned to the Phillips Book Store are being held at the New York Customs House.

Some of the books banned as objectionable by the customs employees are: Casanova's "Memoirs", Balzac's "Les Contes Drolatiques", Rabelais' "Oeuvres", Margueritte's "La Garconne", and "Prostituee", Marguerite de Navarre's "Hentameron", Longas' "Daphnis et Chloe", Galland's "Les Milles et Une Nuits", Rousscau's "Confessions", and Boccaccio's "Decameron".

Included in the shipment were scores of other French classics among which were books by Beaumarchais, St. Pierre, Boileau, Corneille, Diderot, La Fontainc. Rochefoucault, Moliere, Montaigne, Montesquieu, Racine, Vegnry, Voltaire, and many others which are used in the study of French Literature at Harvard. Of the ten censored works at least two are known to be read in French courses here. Rabelais' stories are studied in courses of sixteenth century French Literature while extracts from Rousseau's "Confessions" are also used.

For some-unknown reason, notification to the book store of the failure of the storics to gain the approval of the customs critics was extremely delayed. The books arrived at New York via the steamship France on August 29, but no word was received by the Phillips Book Store concerning the fate of their order until yesterday.

Members of the French Department when interviewed last night by a CRIMSON reporter expressed some surprise at the latest prank of the customs censors but refused to make any statement either for or against the ban.