818 
LITERATURE. 
mon-paper copies, the burthen will dill be fevere, and 
will frequently operate to prevent the publication of many 
works on which the chance of their fale is uncertain. 
And, as the act now (lands, if any book (hould be re¬ 
printed with additions, this expenfe is to be borne again, 
For the aft of Anne enjoins in this cafe alfo another de¬ 
livery of the copies; and, if this be not altered, the re- 
publication of many books, with any improvements, will 
be greatly difcouraged. The extenfive operation of the 
grievance will be more evident, when it is Hated, that it 
has been even thought that newfpapers are within the 
meaning of the ftatute; and, in that cafe, eleven copies 
of them might be every day demanded. 
But it is faid by fome, “ You have only to print eleven 
more, and the tax will not be felt.” The anfwer is, that, 
by ancient cuftom, which cannot now be altered, the 
printers charge by 250 copies 5 that is, if they print 260, 
or any number above 250, they charge the fame as for 
500; if they print 505, they charge the fame as for 750, 
and fo on. If, then, an author thinks he cannot venture 
to print above 250 or 500, which is the cafe with the vaft 
majority of publications, it is not of fmall importance to 
him to print eleven copies more. If he thinks he can fell 
250 copies, and has to print eleven copies for the com- 
pulfory delivery, thefe eleven copies, as far as relates to 
the working off at the prefs, aftually double the coft of 
his printing. He mud pay as much to print thefe eleven 
copies as to print 250 copies. The expenfe of thefe eleven 
copies is, therefore, a very ferious grievance. 
When authors undertake expenfive or important works, 
to whom is it fo natural for them to look for a portion of 
their remuneration as to the great public libraries of the 
united kingdom ? Thefe bodies ought, by buying fuch 
books, to patronife fuch undertakings ; and, as the law 
has hitherto ftopd, not compelling the delivery of copies, 
let it be faid to their honour that they do purchafe them. 
In the lift of fubfcribers to Mr. Dibdin’s Typographical 
| .Antiquities, we fee the Public Library at Cambridge, the 
Britifh Mufeum,and the Library of the Faculty of Advocates 
at Edinburgh. And to Mr. Nichols’s Leicefterfttire, the 
Bodleian Library, the Public Library at Cambridge, Trini¬ 
ty College, Dublin, and theBritilh Mufeurn. Weare happy 
to fay that this lift might be made of confiderable extent. 
This is the true way to encourage literature and learning; 
but, if the aft of Anne had been enforced according to 
its new conftruftion, inftead of thefe public bodies con¬ 
tributing to Mr. Dibdin’s or Mr. Nichols’s expenfes and 
remuneration, they would have been compelled to have 
delivered their copies gratis. So to the heavily-expenfive 
republications, with additions, of Dugdale’s Monafticon 
and Stephens’s Thefaurus, now preparing, many of the 
colleges have fubfcribed. To give thefe public bodies 
the eleven copies, would be, in many cafes, a direft and 
pofitive injury to the authors, befides the aftual coft of 
the paper and print. 
It has ever been the principle of public tafte, that 
things (hall be valued in proportion as they are rare. 
That which every one may have, fcarcely any one cares for. 
This is as true in literature as in every other objeft of na¬ 
tural or artificial production. Hence in moft of the ex¬ 
penfive and important publications, the number mult be 
made as few as poffible to anfwer at all; otherwife that 
price will not be given for the work which can alone in¬ 
demnify the author. Hence the addition of eleven copies 
will often ferioufly operate to the deterioration of a 
work, when only a few are printed. It is likewife obvious, 
that to put works gratuitoully into eleven public libraries, 
will very often l'atisfy the temporary curiofity of a large 
number, and thus operate to an author’s prejudice to an 
^indefinable extent. 
For thefe reafons, it is obvious that the eleven copies 
will be always a heavy grievance, except in the common 
popular works. But thofe who have any experience in 
the felling of books, know to their coft, that the propor¬ 
tion of tiie popular works, to thofe of moderate and li¬ 
mited fale, is as one to twenty. If two fell rapidly, eigh¬ 
teen, and thofe commonly the moft expenfive and valua¬ 
ble, advance very (lowly. Hence the grievance falls hea- 
vieft on thofe which are the lead able to bear it. 
It has been faid that the exiftence of extenfive public 
libraries is beneficial to fociety :—Unqueftionably. But 
can no public libraries be formed, unleis every author be 
taxed in eleven copies of his works ? Let the numerous 
public libraries of the various inftitutions of the metro¬ 
polis, that have ftarted up like magic among us, prove 
how eafily public libraries may be formed without any 
invafion of another’s right of property. That the com- 
pulfory delivery of eleven copies is not neceffary to the 
inftruftion or benefit of the public is clear, from the afto- 
nifhing progrefs of knowledge, literature, and national 
greatnefs, in England, during the laft thirty years at leaft, 
in which the delivery of copies has been of fo fmall an 
extent. 
But it may be faid, that to buy the modern books will 
put the univerfities to expenfe. Certainly, to buy all the 
modern books would occafion heavy expenfe, and would 
needlefsly burthen the (helves of their libraries; but to 
buy the books that each univerfity, for its fair improve¬ 
ment, will aftually need, would not coft much. 
The univerfities of Great Britain and Scotland have an 
advantage which the authors and proprietors of Great 
Britain and Ireland do not poffefs : parliament has bellow¬ 
ed on them a perpetual copyright in all works given or be¬ 
queathed to them. Poffeifed of this fuperior boon, might 
not funds be eafily provided to give their libraries the 
books they might leleft ? They have alfo another great 
advantage above all other publifliers; they have the pri¬ 
vilege of printing their books in the learned languages on 
paper free of duty. When it is recollefted that paper now 
pays a duty that is from 15 to 20 per cent, it will be ob¬ 
vious how much they may underfell the regular publifliers; 
or, if not, yet what a fuperior profit they derive from 
their publications. Oxford and Cambridge have alfo, 
with the king’s printer in England, the foie liberty of 
printing bibles and prayer-books in England. Scotland and 
Ireland have fimilar privileges. 
In confidering the public utility of the fubjeft, it may 
be wife to advert to the praftice of other countries. 
France has flood next to England in her fcience and lite¬ 
rature. Under the former government, every publifher 
was required to give two copies to the king’s public li¬ 
brary; one to that of the louvre; one to the chancellor ; 
and one to the keeper of the feals; the latter were, no 
doubt, connefted with the fuperintendence of the police. 
Under the new regime, thefe copies have been felt to be 
too many; and the law now orders only two copies to be 
depofited in the national library. In America, only one 
copy is required. 
For thefe reafons, and many others which are detailed 
in a well-written pamphlet intitled “ Reafons for a Mo¬ 
dification of the Aft of Anne direfting a Delivery of 
Books, and Copyright,” the bookfellers have petitioned 
parliament for relief in the premifes. They propofe, that 
the eleven libraries (hould be furniftied with acopy of every 
new work at half price ; or, if parliament (hould difapprove 
of this regulation, it is then lubmitted that the claim of pub¬ 
lic utility wouldbefatisfiedif three copies only were required ; 
one for each of the three kingdoms. This would be but 
a moderate taxation. Colleftions of all books in London, 
in Edinburgh, and in Dublin, acceflible to the public of 
each country, would be abundantly fufficient for their 
curiofity, as well as for their inftruftion. If the F.nglifli 
univerfities (hould infill on the gratuitous delivery to them 
of the copies, and if parliament (hould think it right to 
extend the burthen fo far; yet it is trailed that the deli¬ 
very of five copies , on the paper on which the greateft 
number is printed, one to each of the chief public libra¬ 
ries of London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Oxford, and Cam¬ 
bridge, ought not to be exceeded. It is alfo fubmitted 
that in this cafe no delivery (hould be exacted of very ex- 
3 penfive 
