Andrew Malcolm, the philosopher and author who has been engaged in a publicised legal battle with the University for 17 years, is finally to be allowed to return to Borders Bookstore to speak, after his last talk at the Borders store on Magdalen Street ended in police being called. Malcolm will deliver his lecture, entitled "Where is the University?" on Thursday 30 January at 7pm, at the Borders Charing Cross Road store in London.
Malcolm's last attempt to promote his two books, Making Names and The Remedy, the latter of which charts his court case with the University and the Oxford University Press (OUP), ended with the author being escorted off the store premises by eight policemen, and with his impromptu audience being dispersed. The bookstore had cancelled his scheduled appearance that lunchtime. Malcolm, undeterred, proceeded with his appointment as planned.
Borders published an official apology following the incident saying "We sincerely regret and apologise for the cancellation of Andrew Malcolm's event in Oxford, which should have gone ahead."
Malcolm is no stranger to controversy. His escalating feud with the University, beginning when the OUP went back on its agreement to publish his first book, Making Names, has cost the participants around £50,000 apiece over two lawsuits. Malcolm also opened and ran a shop, "Akme Expression", opposite Balliol College on Broad Street, which has now closed. He used the shop as an outlet from which to sell his books to raise money to pay legal fees owed to the University. He also set up a joke University, from which degrees and professorships could be bought, and an exhibition, entitled Another Oxford Story, in the basement of the shop.
Malcolm told Cherwell that his talk at Borders next Thursday "promises to be something of an event."
Click for preceding story BORDERS SUMMON THOUGHT POLICE. Oxford, 4th October 2002: the first book-bust in Europe since the Nazis.
Click for text of talk WHERE IS THE UNIVERSITY?