Continuity mistake: In the scene where Frank Morris arrives at Alcatraz, he has to take all his clothes off for a routine check. When the guards escort him to his cell you can see him wearing a pair of white boxers, but in the next scene (still walking) he is naked again and when placed into his cell you can see him wearing a pair of pants. (00:06:15)
Continuity mistake: When Wolf goes for Frank in the yard with a knife, his blue woolly hat disapppears for one shot when he is swinging the knife at Frank. It's snuggly back on his head in the next shot. (00:28:30)
Continuity mistake: In the dining hall when the guard calls Frank over to talk about the "accident" involving Doc, the food on Frank's tray is different when he walked over from when he walks away. (00:44:20)
Continuity mistake: When Frank is throwing black checkers into the corner of his room, between shots after he spots the bug, the amount of black checkers sitting on his board blatantly decreases. (00:42:40)
Continuity mistake: When Doc is painting himself in the yard, the amount / position of grey marks on the painting differs. (00:22:50)
Continuity mistake: When Morris is put in D-Block ("The Hole") after the fight with Wolf, he's placed in D-Block Cell 12. When he's released, the guard shuts the door; in the top right corner, 11 is painted on the door.
Continuity mistake: When Morris first gets to Alcatraz, he's wearing a jacket with one button buttoned. As he walks through the metal detector his jacket is suddenly unbuttoned. (00:05:20)
Continuity mistake: When Clint and some other prisoners are showering, one of the prisoners approaches Clint, who quickly gives him three punches in the stomach and shoves a bar of soap into his mouth. The soap falls out of his mouth before he falls to the ground, but once on the ground, he has the soap in his mouth again.
Answer: Those were the solitary confinement cells, with no light and no luxuries of any kind. So yes, they did not allow inmates on that block to have books.
This is inaccurate as a light in each cell was turned on at 6:30 every morning in solitary confinement at Alcatraz.