Authors, Publishers and Politicians

The Quest for an Anglo-American Copyright Agreement, 1815-1854

James J. Barnes

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781032635620
• eBook ISBN: 9781003835707
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Modern History
• Index: History

First published in 1974, Authors, Publishers and Politicians describes the efforts to secure an Anglo-American copyright agreement. It explores the underlying causes of the failure of this quest, a failure which enabled literary pirates on both sides of the Atlantic to continue operations for another forty years. It traces the effects this had on the writers and producers of books as well as their reading public. Few aspects of Anglo-American relations were untouched by the drama presented in this study. Its broader implications range from straightforward business transactions, official diplomatic manoeuvres, endless legal complexities, and clandestine political intrigue to the peculiarities involved in book smuggling, newspaper rivalries and industrial espionage. The book will be of interest to students of legal history, publishing and literature.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Original Title
• Original Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• I The Depression of 1837–43 and its Implications for the American Book Trade
• II British Periodicals in America
• III Copyright In and Out of Congress, 1815–42
• VI Further Efforts to Influence the American Congress, 1842–51
• V The Impact of Foreign Reprints on the Domestic British Book Trade
• VI Efforts to Influence Parliament, 1838–44
• VII The Canadian Market
• VIII The British Law Courts: A Possible Remedy for the Absence of International Copyright
• IX American Lobbyists in the Early 1850s
• X The Organization
• XI Bribery, or the Necessary Expenses of Congressional Action: November 1851-February 1853
• XII The Need for Senate Ratification: February 1853-June 1854
• Notes
• Index