http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/books/penguin-classics-prove-too-risque-for-australia-post/2009/10/14/1255195830490.html
Penguin classics prove too risque for Australia Post
Peter Hawkins and Ellie Harvey
October 15, 2009
Cover of Anais Nin's Delta of Venus, one of the books removed from shelves in Australia Post outlets.
A NUMBER of popular Penguin classics, including Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, have been pulled from the shelves of Australia Post retail outlets.
The History of Sexuality, The Delta of Venus and Lolita were delivered to some of the 4500 Australia Post stores nationwide but all have been sent back. Most did not make it as far as the shelves.
''There's no criteria. It's on a case-by-case basis. Like any other product it was purely to fit with our brand and business,'' said an Australia Post spokesman, Alex Twomey.
''We tend to stock fairly standard middle-of-the-road type products, given that we serve all parts of the community and they're not the sort of thing we would normally have.''
The books, part of the Popular Penguins series, were received a few weeks ago.
Australia Post said it did not know how many books reached the shelves and it was unaware of any official complaints.
''We've got no issue with the books. We are not seeing it as a censorship issue or calling for them to be banned,'' Mr Twomey said.
Penguin's website describes Delta of Venus, by Anais Nin, as ''a stunning collection of sexual encounters from the queen of literary erotica''.
The entry for Lolita reads: ''Poet and pervert Humbert Humbert becomes obsessed by 12-year-old Lolita and seeks to possess her, first carnally and then artistically, out of love.''
Penguin Australasia's sales director, Peter Blake, said: ''I guess there have been complaints from customers and they have reacted by removing them from sale. Retailers can do what they like.''