The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851Various
History
The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851
Various
Art, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- History -- Periodicals
writings against foreign appropriations of their copyrights, they are often
very much flattered by their adoption. The audacious single-volume piracies
of Galignani and Baudry of Paris, of the poetry of Byron, Scott, Southey,
Moore, Coleridge, Shelley and others, were often looked upon by the parties
who might be expected to consider themselves most aggrieved, as conferring
a distinction upon their writings calculated to increase their reputation
in this country. In several instances within our knowledge, the materials
for the biographical notices which prefaced the respective volumes were
supplied by the authors themselves! Lord Byron, so far from expressing any
indignation at the liberty which Messrs. Galignani had taken with his
writings, assisted them in identifying them, and wrote interesting
autograph letters to aid in their illustration.
Southey, as we gather from one of his letters, was rather flattered than
otherwise at the republication of his poetry in Paris, and if rumor may be
credited, Moore corrected the proofs, and furnished materials for the
biography of one or more of the foreign editions of his works. Mr. Bowles
and several other poets whose writings were included in this series, not
only furnished notes for the Biographical Prefaces, but indicated to the
editor the publications from which their fugitive writings should be
collected. Mrs. Hemans furnished several notes and suggestions for one of
the American editions of her works, and sent copies to her friends as
evidence of her translantic popularity. In fact we have rarely met with an
author whose writings have been deemed worthy of being reprinted abroad,
who has not considered himself flattered by the preference. We do not of
course profess to believe that their publishers were equally complimented
by this unceremonious invasion of their property. So long as the sale of
such piracies were limited to the continent, we doubt if they were the
means of abstracting a great deal from the pockets of either the author or
publisher; but for very many years they were allowed to be imported in
single copies, during which period they were introduced into this country
in large quantities. They were, however, purchased rather from their
compactness than for their cheapness, and the instant Mr. Murray published
a handsomely printed single volume edition of the Poetry of Lord Byron at a
moderate price, the trade in French and Belgian piracies of British
copyrights was almost destroyed. Why should we not print cheap editions for
exportation? The drawback on the paper, and the superiority of our printing
and binding would be sufficiently obvious to enable us to obtain a better
price than would be given for such coarse reprints as are usually hurried
into circulation in America. We cannot but believe that such an enterprise
might be carried out successfully. There is scarcely an edition, at a
moderate price, of any American author, that is worthy of the library; and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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