Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction

'Crisp, clear and astute, this is a thought-provoking introduction to one of the most hotly-contested questions of our time'

Lisa Appignanesi, President of English PEN

'The genius of Nigel Warburton's Free Speech lies not only in its
extraordinary clarity and incisiveness. Just as important is the way
Warburton addresses freedom of speech -- and attempts to stifle it -- as an
issue for the 21st century.  More than ever, we need this book.'

Denis Dutton, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, ALDaily

"...philosopher Nigel Warburton spans two millennia and more of knotty quarrels over freedom of expression and its moral or legal limits – from Socrates' death by hemlock to Salman Rushdie, David Irving and Aayan Hirsi Ali. As he writes, 'almost every defender of free speech wishes to draw the line somewhere'.

With admirable clarity, this VSI shows us how wobbly, hazy – but unavoidable – that line turns out to be."

From a review by Boyd Tonkin in The Independent (13.3.09)

Read a review in The Washington Times (1.5.09)

Read an interview with Nigel Warburton about writing this book