Picture perfect

Bookstore capable of determining what is 'obscene' and what is art

Rather than hanging out at the mall for a night of entertainment, families are spending hours at one of America's newest creations, the bookstore/café.

Some sip cappuccino and nibble pastries in the front of the store, while others browse among endless shelves of children's books, computer guides and romance novels. Some even dare to explore the photography section.

"It's understandable that legislators want to protect children from offensive material."

There, off in that distant portion of one Barnes & Noble bookstore, lurk what a Tennessee county grand jury claims are materials that violate the state's obscenity laws. In question are photography books by Jock Sturges (The Last Day of Summer and Radiant Identities) and David Hamilton (The Age of Innocence). Specifically, the jury is questioning photographs of nude minors included in the works.

It's understandable that legislators want to protect children from offensive material. But what legislators aren't considering is the store's ability to monitor the materials it places on its shelves. The books Barnes & Noble is stocking are authored by artists who are well-known and respected in their fields.

According to the Magidson Fine Art homepage, Hamilton's The Age of Innocence "shows that there is no more beautiful image in the world, than that of the female body." Also, according to the World Wide Web site, photos in Sturges' Radiant Identities "capture the form of adolescent bodies and the closeness of mothers and daughters."

These books do not contain "obscene" materials; rather, they are filled with critically acclaimed images that speak of universal subjects.

Legislators, and more importantly, parents, should rest assured that no obscene material even makes it to these stores. Barnes & Noble, as well as other large shops of its type, do not covertly carry merchandise intended for adults only.

Even when stores choose to carry materials that may be inappropriate for young customers, operators are responsible enough to place them in areas where children cannot easily access them.

So, rather than prosecuting Barnes & Noble and essentially censoring the store's merchandise, Tennessee legislators should recognize that these books contain works of art, not pornography. And parents heading off to the nearest family hot spot should feel confident their children are not being dropped into the center of an adult bookstore.