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SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII., No. 158 



as the foreign edition, if made large enough to sup- 

 ply both countries, could be sold much cheaper 

 here than a new edition printed in this country. 

 It is asserted that this difficulty would be obviated 

 by the tariff laws, as there is a duty of twenty-five 

 per cent on books ; but this is offset by duties on 

 paper, type, ink, and other materials that enter 

 into the composition of a book, and also by cheaper 

 foreign labor. 



There is apparently a wide-spread desire for an 

 international copyright ; but, so far as my obser- 

 vation extends, this wish is confined to English 

 and American authors, or solely to parties who have 

 a direct interest in the matter. England favors 

 it because she will receive much greater benefit 

 from our international copyright than America from 

 an English international act, as ten English books 

 are sold here for every American book sold there. 

 A careful consideration of the whole subject will 

 show that each country favors such legislation as 

 is most conducive to its interest, and that the 

 judgment of every author and publisher upon this 

 subject is influenced, even if insensibly to himself, 

 by the same motive. These authors and pub- 

 lishers are interested witnesses ; and I believe 

 there is not a single disinterested witness among 

 those who have appeared before congress, favor- 

 ing this measure. 



This interest does not affect all authors alike ; 

 for some write because they cannot help writing, 

 some for the purpose of benefiting the public, 

 others for fame, while only a few write simply for 

 money. Many of our old authors wrote before any 

 copyright existed, and some of our best living au- 

 thors would have written if we had no such laws. 

 But authors cannot Jive on fame, and, like other 

 workers, should be fully and amply compensated. 



The copyright is of much less direct value, either 

 to the public or authors, than is generally sup- 

 posed. It is only the best authors who would 

 suffer if we had no copyright. Mr. Holt, one of 

 our largest publishers, states, that, out of every 

 five publications, one is a failure ; three barely 

 pay the cost of publication ; while the fifth, be- 

 sides paying its cost, defrays the general expenses 

 of the business belonging to the five books, and 

 a profit to the publisher and author. 



The indirect benefit is much greater ; for the 

 successful book is generally known to, all, and in- 

 cites authors to write and booksellers to publish. 

 Special and scientific books often have few readers, 

 and yet are of greater public benefit than more 

 popular works. These are published in the expec- 

 tation that the slow and steady sale during the 

 life of the monopoly will pay the cost, and yield 

 some profit and some fame to the author. How 

 f ar this monopoly should be extended, and whether 



foreigners should enjoy it, are questions of expe- 

 diency, and not of right. Wherever such exten- 

 sions will promote science and the arts, they should 

 be granted. 



The direct benefits of international copyright 

 are much less than those from our own copyright 

 laws, while the direct injury will be very great, 

 as is shown by the arguments in its favor. The 

 reasons assigned by the league, at the hearing 

 before the senate committee for an international 

 act are : — 



First, that it would increase the price of foreign 

 books, and stay the flood of cheap literature that 

 now deluges the land ; second, that it would increase 

 the demand for American works, raise their price, 

 and thereby benefit the American author. 



The opinions varied in regard to the increase in 

 the price of foreign books that would be caused 

 by an international copyright, though all agreed 

 that the publication of cheap editions of new 

 books would be discontinued. I requested a book- 

 seller of New York to prepare a list of a consider- 

 able number of choice English books, exclusive of 

 special and scientific books and works of fiction, 

 with the prices of the foreign edition in London 

 and New York, and of the reprint in this country. 

 The aggregate price of 42 books in London was 

 $339 ; of the same editions in New York, $545.80 ; 

 of the reprint, $140.90. The average cost per 

 copy was $8.07 in London ; $12.90, same edition, 

 in New York; $3.35 for the reprint. Many of 

 these books have been reprinted in cheap editions 

 at from ten to twenty cents per volume. If the 

 act proposed by the league were passed, and the 

 books published in London and sent here for 

 sale, the prices would be regulated by the prices 

 in London ; for, if it were considerablj r lower here, 

 the books would be sent back to England for sale. 

 If published here, either by a London or Ameri- 

 can house, the price would not much exceed the 

 price of American books of the same class. 



Mr. J. R. Lowell, on the second day of the hear- 

 ing, gave it as his opinion that the price of Ameri- 

 can books would not be raised, as the increased 

 demand, when the cheap reprints were stopped] 

 would yield sufficient profit to the publisher at the 

 old price. 



Mr. Holt, a publisher of New York, and Mr. 

 Estes, a bookseller of Boston, agreed that the cheap 

 reprints had reduced the demand for American 

 books so largely that the inducement to write was 

 insufficient. 



In answer to these statements, it was shown, 

 that, notwithstanding the great depression in all 

 kinds of business for two or three years, the num- 

 ber of copyrighted books had increased from 8,000 

 in 1876, to 10,000 in 1885, or twenty-five per cent 



