Next he faced a similar legal battle over the book "Tropic of Cancer" by Henry Miller. That case led to a major ruling about free speech by the United States Supreme Court. In nineteen sixty-four, the justices decided that "Tropic of Cancer" was not obscene. They said its "redeeming social value" outweighed its sexual content.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Barney Rosset said literary value -- as opposed to shock value -- was always his main reason for publishing a book. But he admitted that he also enjoyed a chance to assert the Constitution's guarantee of freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
BARNEY ROSSET: "I feel that if people don't have the right to express themselves, first of all, they are not going to be happy, and secondly, they aren't going to develop the creative abilities they have, as scientists, as bankers, as anything."
He said his fighting spirit dated back to his high school years.
BARNEY ROSSET: "I was a cross-country runner. And I didn't get tired very easily. That was my whole thing; it was endurance. It was a similar kind of thing, actually. I believed in freedom of speech. It never entered my head to quit."
BOB DOUGHTY: In recent years, an organization called the National Coalition Against Censorship recognized Barney Rosset's efforts. And the National Book Foundation honored him as a "tenacious champion for writers who were struggling to be read in America."
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