I have a new children's book that just arrived. Printed in 1875, it's called The Widow's Cottage and Other Stories, and has 21 stories in it. A lot of work would be needed to produce a replica of this book. All of the text would have to be retyped. One-hundred twenty-eight pages would have to be cut, folded, and trimmed to fit eight folios. The folios would then have to be sewn together, and finally, glued into a thick cardstock cover. The book is just under 5x4" and almost 1/2" thick. Given the very low production number and the many, many hours of work, this book would require a high price, which can only be determined when I have an idea of how long it will take me, and about how many copies I can expect to sell. Please answer the poll to help me make a decision. Thank you!
Copyright is so hard to decipher. In general, anything produced prior to 1923 is fair game. It's my understanding that if I own a copy of an out-of-copyright book, I have the right to legally reproduce it. Of course, that means if there are 20 copies of an original, 20 owners have the right to reproduce it, either as is or by scanning and digitally cleaning the pages, which is what I do.
However, what if I scan my copy and put it on the internet? Can someone else now take those scans, digitally clean them, and reproduce the book for commercial purposes or those beyond fair use? This is a question I'd love answered, but I'll leave it for a time when I've run out of my own materials to reproduce. Meanwhile, below are some links about copyright that might be of interest if you want to reproduce things, too. And if you have any insight on this topic, please leave a comment! http://baylyblog.com/blog/2006/02/christian-businesses-make-copyright-claims-without-legal-merit http://fairuse.stanford.edu/2009/07/30/turning_outofcopyright_books_i/ |
AuthorA mom, a reenactor, a librarian, a collector of old books. Archives
October 2015
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