1960s Timeline

Nov. 13, 1961 - The novel “Tropic of Cancer” was banned in Massachusetts today. Superior Court Judge Lewis Goldberg described Henry Miller’s novel as “obscene, indecent, and impure.” The judge’s ruling resulted from a three-day trial during which State Attorney General Edward J. McCormack Jr. urged that sale of the book be prohibited. Judge Goldberg said the novel contained “no connected plot.” “It is largely the tale of the sex experiences of an American in Paris who went to

Nov. 13, 1961 - Norman Mailer (right), author of the best-selling novel “The Naked and the Dead,” received a suspended sentence today on his plea of guilty to stabbing his wife Adele last year. The suspended sentence was given by Judge Mitchell D. Schweitzer, who continued the 38-year-old author on probation for a period not to exceed 3 years. Mr. Mailer’s lawyer, Joseph E. Brill (left), said his client had behaved well on probation thus far, was working on a new book, had re