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    w m Dec. 15,1890 The Publishers' Circula...

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    •o* INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT. On December...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    ' The Making Of Christmas Books.

    fitting-iii was a difficult and tedious matter . These are reproduced by one of those

    wonderful modern processes which have all but superseded wood engraving . They also were done

    in Paris . ' ' In the production of — your coloured i books

    in you Eng seem land to . be Wh unable y is this to -m V get — your — It - — — is — - alway work — — s done — the , ~

    question of expense , other things being equal . Labour is cheaper abroad , hours are longer

    abroad ; the cost of transport , if the lithographic stones are importedis very large . It

    CT is true X that in the case of , editiom % l de C 3 luxe Eng lish paper X X at 9 d . per X pound X is to be pre X -

    ferred , but foreigners have the art of printing long numbers cheaply . Then as to skill

    remember O that the forei X •/ gner has had technical , education from his kindergarten days .

    However , in spite of all initial disadvantages , I

    believe that . England is coming to the front .

    W M Dec. 15,1890 The Publishers' Circula...

    w m Dec . 15 , 1890 The Publishers' Circular ! 6 o 3

    •O* International Copyright. On December...

    • o * INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT . On December 3 , the American House of

    Representatives passed the Copyright Bill by 139 to 95 votes . The easy passage of the Bill caused delighted surprise in the United

    States , as it was not generally expected this session . Its passage by the Senate is believed certainand the President ' s approval is

    undoubted , . The Bill permits foreigners to take an American copyright on the same basis as

    American citizens , in three cases : first , when the nation of the foreigner permits copyri x «/ g oht

    to American citizens on substantially the same basis as its own ; secondwhen the nation of

    the foreigner gives to American , citizens copyrig ht privileges X < = > similar to those provided X in

    the Bill ; third , when the nation of the foreigner is a party to an international agreement providing for reciprocity in copyright by

    terms by which the United States can become a part X y •/ thereto at X pleasure . A subsidiary «/

    proposition is that all books copyrighted under the Act shall be printed from type set within the States or from plates made

    therefrom . The law will not come into force until July j 1 , 1891 .

    The unexpected passage of the Bill has caused a great stir in Transatlantic literary circlesand New York publishers are

    endeavour , ing to come to some arrangement in view of the changes that must inevitably take

    place . The representative of a news agency has been interviewing the leading publishers thereand we subjoin the opinions of a _ few .. of

    them , on the situation «/ . Mr . Scribnerafter stating that to his mind there would , be no

    revolution 4 The immediate in the publishing effect of business the law , assuming added : —

    that the Bill becomes law , will be the , holding — Cj back of new works until such time as

    copyright can be had in Great Britain and the United States . I have personal knowledge

    of a number of important books which are being withheld for this reason . I do not

    expect to see any great noticeable change in the price of books . The day of 15 cent literature is practically over ; at ¦ leant

    publishers are finding J , out that f it does f not pay JL to produce books at such a price . I think we

    jfrfi r

    •O* International Copyright. On December...

    shall still have 25 and 50 cent novels . You must have noticed that the price of cheap

    X 4 t books has steadily advanced during the last two or three years V . This may v be exp MTlained *

    on the ground of self-preservation . The publishers were not making anything out of the cheaper reprintsand there -was no

    combination among them , to raise the price . Another immediate effect of the new law will be the impetus it will give to the printing business . There

    will be no more shell plates , as the bill provides that books published here must be put

    into electrotypes type here read . y for Shell the plates press are and simp requi ly

    ring only backing to bring them to , the proper height for printing . The most important

    operation of the Bill will be among authors , both native and foreign . We shall have a better class of literary workbecause the

    authors will be sure of higher , remuneration , and will therefore devote more time and thoug o ht to their work . The American —author

    and will there be on will level be terms a greater with Englis incentive h writers to do , good work . The law will benefit us allbut

    its operation will only be gradual . ' , Mr . Henry Harperof the firm of Messrs .

    Harper Brothers , who , was also seen on the same subject 0 , said : * One of - the first things o

    the new law will do will be to check or stop absolutely the importation of cheap reprints .

    % l X XX This business was started and largely conducted by foreign houses having branches in

    A merica and Canada . For instance , they have been flooding O the country % f with paper X Xeditions

    of standard works . A day or two ago I saw a copy of " Ben Hur" published in Canada

    selling X •/ at 25 cents . , We don't publish cheap , cop Xies of Wallace ' s book . The effect of this

    foreign system of reprint is easily apparent , yet •/ we are help less . The new Bill is going CJ fcjto

    help the publishers by excluding these reprints . Authors will derive great benefit under the new law . For instancetake Black and

    Howells , who , we assume , , were on equal terms at first . The country was flooded with cheap reprints of Black's works at 25 cents

    and 50 cents a copy . On the other hand , we were obliged to maintain the price of Howells '

    works at # 1 . 50 cents . We control their publicationbut have absolutely nothing to say

    about the publication , of Black ' s works . Possibly readers regard o Black's books as being oas

    good aa Howells ' , and therefore , in order to save $ \ . 25 centswill buy Black's and leave

    Howells' alone ; in , which case Howells is the sufferer . It is our rule to remunerate authors

    on the royalty plan . I think that is now the custom of — — American publishersso that the

    larger the sale the greater j- the remuneration , . ' Mr . George Haven Putnamon being

    interviewed , said : ' It looks as if we , were going to ^ have ^ ^™ ^ w ^ r v ^ tr * international ¦• ^»^^ ^^ - ^^ ^^ m m ^^^ ^ " -w ^ r ^^ % ^ ^ mu ^ m ^ ar ^ ^™ copyrig - ^^ -. ^ " M 1 ^ W —^^^^ ht — after fifty ^ M -three

    years of effort . The first Bill on the subject ¦ was introduced by Henry ¦ Clay at the request

    Cullen of W W ^ " ^ . ^ . ^ the ^""» r *^ ^ m ^^ * Bryant ^ Copyri ™*^ ^^ ¦* . t ^¦ " ^» ~*^ - ^^ ^^™ g was ht w »* W ¦ League ¦ president ¦ ^ ¦ ^^ ¦ ¦ -- — , of , and which G . William P . Put-

    nam secretary . I feel sure the Senate will , pass h ^ ^^ - ^ t ¦ ^^ f ^ Mr ^ mm t ^ rm *^ w ^* . ^ m ¦ . Simmonds ^^^ ** m ^^ ^ ¦ ^ m ^ r * m r ^ m ™™ « - ^^ "i ¦ ^^ ^^ — — ' - Bill — , ^ m and f of course "" the a

    President will sign it immediately , as he advocates the measure in his Message to Congress . JT

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Dec. 15, 1890, page 1603, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15121890/page/13/