Bowdler’s Day
July 11
About Bowdler’s Day
Bowdler’s Day is a literary commemoration held every year on 11 July, the birthday of Thomas Bowdler, the English physician and editor who gave the world the word “bowdlerise”. In 2026 it falls on Saturday, 11 July. The day marks the curious legacy of a man whose well-meaning attempt to make Shakespeare suitable for family reading turned his surname into a byword for censorship.
The Story Behind Bowdler’s Day
Thomas Bowdler was born on 11 July 1754 in Bath, Somerset, into a comfortable and devout family. He trained as a physician at the University of Edinburgh, became a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was also a notably strong chess player who once competed against the great François-André Danican Philidor. Yet medicine and chess are not what kept his name alive. Bowdler is remembered for a single editorial project that changed the English language.
The roots of that project lay in his own childhood. Bowdler later recalled how his father would read aloud from Shakespeare and the Bible in the family parlour, quietly omitting anything he judged unsuitable for his wife and children. The young Thomas was struck by how seamless these omissions were, and by the idea that great literature might be shared with everyone if only its coarser passages were trimmed away. That memory eventually produced “The Family Shakespeare”, a version of the plays “in which nothing is added to the original text, but those words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud in a family”.
The first edition appeared in 1807, covering 24 of the plays in four small volumes, and it was published anonymously. There is good reason for that anonymity. Most scholars now agree that the 1807 edition was largely, perhaps entirely, the work of Thomas’s sister, Henrietta Maria Bowdler, known to the family as Harriet. A respected writer in her own right, Harriet could not publicly admit to having edited Shakespeare, because doing so would have meant acknowledging that she understood the very passages she was removing. In the social climate of Georgian Britain, that was not something a respectable unmarried woman could say aloud. Her brother’s name went on the title page of the later, expanded editions, and history handed him the credit, and the infamy, that may have belonged at least in part to her.
In 1818 Thomas Bowdler published a greatly expanded edition covering all 36 plays then available, and it sold steadily, reaching a fifth edition by 1827. He went on to apply the same treatment to Edward Gibbon’s “History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, published after his death in 1825. From his surname the verb “bowdlerise” entered the language, meaning to expurgate a text by removing material thought to be vulgar or offensive. If you enjoy days that celebrate the written word, you might also like National Writing Day, which encourages people to put pen to paper.
When and Where is Bowdler’s Day Celebrated?
Bowdler’s Day is observed on 11 July every year, the anniversary of Thomas Bowdler’s birth in 1754. In 2026 the date falls on a Saturday. The day is a fixed annual occasion, so it never moves. It is marked chiefly by literary enthusiasts, librarians, English teachers, and book lovers, and its strongest associations are with Britain, where Bowdler lived and worked, though discussions of censorship and editing make it relevant to readers everywhere.
Traditions and Customs
There is no single official way to mark Bowdler’s Day, which leaves plenty of room for readers to make it their own. Common ways people observe it include the following.
- Reading Shakespeare in the original – Many people deliberately read an unexpurgated passage, such as the bawdier exchanges in “Romeo and Juliet” or “Henry IV”, as a small act of defiance against the editor’s red pen.
- Comparing the two versions – Readers track down a copy of “The Family Shakespeare” alongside a modern edition to see exactly what Bowdler cut and why, which is often surprising and sometimes very funny.
- Debating censorship and editing – Book groups and classrooms use the day to discuss where sensible editing ends and censorship begins, a question that remains live in publishing today.
- Honouring Harriet Bowdler – Some mark the day by acknowledging the sister whose contribution went unnamed, reading about her life and the women editors of her era.
- Word play and language – Logophiles celebrate the fact that one person’s name became a verb, sharing other eponyms such as “boycott”, “guillotine” and “silhouette”.
Ways to Celebrate Bowdler’s Day
If you would like to take part in 2026, here are some ideas to get you started.
- Pick a play and read it aloud – Gather friends or family and read a scene from Shakespeare in full, restoring anything Bowdler might have removed.
- Visit a library or second-hand bookshop – Hunt for an old edition of “The Family Shakespeare” or any expurgated classic and see censorship history first hand.
- Write your own “bowdlerised” version – As a light-hearted exercise, take a modern song or film line and remove everything you think a Georgian parent would object to.
- Share the word “bowdlerise” – Use the day to teach someone the term and the story behind it, a neat piece of literary trivia.
- Explore banned and censored books – Read something that has faced censorship over the years and reflect on why books get challenged.
- Post online – Recommend your favourite Shakespeare play or a memorable line and tag it for others to discover.
Facts and Figures
- Thomas Bowdler was born on 11 July 1754 in Bath and died on 24 February 1825 in Swansea, Wales.
- The first edition of “The Family Shakespeare” (1807) covered 24 plays in four volumes; the expanded 1818 edition covered all 36 then available.
- Bowdler’s editorial rule was to add nothing and only to remove, so the surviving text remained Shakespeare’s own words.
- Among the changes, Ophelia’s death in “Hamlet” was reframed as an accidental drowning, and the exclamation “God!” was softened to “Heavens!”.
- The verb “bowdlerise” (or “bowdlerize”) is now a standard dictionary word, making Bowdler one of the relatively few people whose surname became a common verb.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bowdler’s Day?
Bowdler’s Day is an annual literary observance on 11 July marking the birthday of Thomas Bowdler, the editor of “The Family Shakespeare” whose surname gave us the word “bowdlerise”, meaning to censor or expurgate a text.
When is Bowdler’s Day in 2026?
Bowdler’s Day falls on Saturday, 11 July 2026. It is a fixed date that occurs on 11 July every year, the anniversary of Thomas Bowdler’s birth in 1754.
Did Thomas Bowdler really edit Shakespeare himself?
He published the work under his name and edited the expanded 1818 edition, but most scholars now believe the original 1807 edition was largely the work of his sister, Henrietta “Harriet” Bowdler, who could not publicly claim authorship at the time.
Spread the Word
Share Bowdler’s Day with fellow book lovers using #BowdlersDay and #BowdlersDay2026. Whether you mark the occasion by reading an unedited scene of Shakespeare or by debating where editing ends and censorship begins, every bit of awareness helps keep this curious piece of literary history alive.
Related Awareness Days
- National Tom Sawyer Day – A celebration of Mark Twain’s classic novel, another literary work that has faced its share of censorship debates.
- National Read A Book Day – The perfect prompt to pick up Shakespeare in the original and enjoy reading for its own sake.
- Indie Author Week UK – A week celebrating independent writers and the freedom to publish on one’s own terms.
Links
- Read more about Thomas Bowdler and The Family Shakespeare
- Explore more awareness days at AwarenessDays.com
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