New-York daily tribune., 1845-11-01
First Violation of Private Copyright.
] N prI N q : j T

In the absence OF any Copyright Law & @ De
Grea, Britain and The United sts.e. oi worm ~ %
r;cs and with view 10 protect my Fsnts ne an u
,nr IN gave from iuustion OF pirscsl dealings the honor
Of my transAanc publisher and % ensute 10. - ,ie'Ic @
Tcad.rs an accurate edition Of work already we kno"n
in bo,h h.usphees the undersigned, being both Auihor
and Proprietor OF the work IN question hereby grant 10
Usey,Y HOOKER publisher, OF Philadelphia my exclusive
p,r,,,ion authority print and publish within lie
iJred States both series of my "PKoyERBiAL PHlLoso
ruyr nov completed. Provided. that Herman Hooker
rs;sbes an accurate reprint from the Last London edition
of the two volumeshat he issues the WORK 10 creltaole
And .1rer or STYLE end that here follow the terms OF remit
neration And although from The vHni o! positive law on
the subject; is GRANT AUTHORITY may tail OF having
ernc,ed that the Respectable booksellers of The United
States will abstain from infringing lie hlGi mus oestoed
on Herman Hooker and thai no fraudulent competition
will arise deprive him Of The exclusive beneh OF this my
-''f' MARTIN FARoUH AR UPPER [sEM-l
Dated Brighton, County OF Sussex England the sh day
OF June, 1915.
To the Editor Of The Tribune
Such was Mr.. Upper appeal to American book
sellers for the protection OF his interest and right In
his book. The work had been for years open TO the
trade but no one thought proper to publish ii, when
the Author wrote 10 me desiring an American edi-
ton. II took three years to sell 800 copies The
sale steadily, however. increased till all chance of
loss by i, was passed and by exertion and expense
market had been secured for it At this point,
the moral courage of others is raised TO publish it;
with Mr.. Tupper's claims and appeals staring them
in the face with better conscience pleading against
il and against the remons,rances OF common man
hood they take his property his book, the better
part Of himself and appropriate II 10 their own use
securing i, in the Golfers OF cowaru-y cupldlty L
had from the start little expectation that my interest
in the book would be respected but did think the
Authors would be- l did think that no one, know
ing that he received income from II, would rob
him of il with his appeal to the natural justice OF
Mankind sounding In their ears. was mistaken
But they who could do this, should suppose would
take the property OF another whenever and wherev-
cr il could be found without the protection OF law.
They consult only their interest; they care not
for the damage done TO others they take what all
other produces waiting till it has ripened 10 his
profit, and make it their own II there was no law
against it. they might justly take horse as
book, and ought TO be Us much respected Ia dong
H. 1t is said that the names Of the real proprietors
in this book piracy are concealed from the public
This no doubt so and it shows what they think oi
themselves, and if others think the same of them,
they will remain in the dark But they should be
hunted out and marked that they who respect the
rights OF others may know who 10 avoid that il
may be known where it will do to leave any thing
valuable without watch. - The man that hath
done this thing shall surely die What had he
done! He had stolen his neighbor's pet lamb, not
his book, the choicest gathering OF his toll, the ex
press image of himself. In the former case natural
Justice cries out in the latter it is dumb passioness
may be preyed upon-a vulgar appetits may be
sated on them: what is select III their thoughts
themselves in dress wrong htwithout hands may be
stolen away and troddcn down, and nation S JUS
tce is not indignant at the wrong! Thus reach
the point To which Just words have come before me.
The crying want OF the country Is legal prolec-
ton for the labor and property invested in books
upon the rights OF authors thercin live they where
they NAV. An important booh appears IN foreign
land. The public welfare may be largely interested
in It's publication here The chances of its sale are,
however, doubtful. But some one, more venturesome
than Others prints it. He invests his means largely
in it. He gives his time and money to make Its
merits known, and demand is thus created for it
Cupidty is excited, and the book is published
in other quarters, and he loses the reward of his
enterprise and perhaps the value of his investment.
Meanwhile the Government under which he lives
looks on and smiles. and the multitude heed not his
losses, so that they chcapy served losing with
the Government itself all Ct right and wrong.
These daily occurrences. Men OF science and
letters, give the ability which toilsome years can
alone furnish 10 the production OF great works, and
soon as they fall from the press they are seized
upon the authors and their families deprived OF their
profits and the monsters in justice is moi felt because
the Government allows IT, What great things can
come of n people who live under such a regimen
as this? In Sparta theft was only honorable so
long as concealed here it is honorable in open
posure if only an author be pundered-if he and his
be the only sufferers, all is Well If this is to be
the way genius and authorship to be encouraged;
if great works. which make a nation great, may
thus become the righ, OF tools-a privileged class,
already they will soon be impatient of all bars TO
the ownership of what belongs to others. Ii Gov-
ernment will not encourage their production and
publication of great works by protectil the right
Of property therein, it will, in matters OF mind as
well as justice soon be day Of small things with
If the people are encouraged 10 put their strength
and means one against the other they will break on
themselves. Ii is the sin and shame Of this age
and country that Genius and Literature are
things euthroned in the estimation and provisions
of Governmcnt-tbat what is or may be great in
people is 10, honored and secured BY the nations
voice, let ii spring when and where it may. Till
we come back 10 honest views on this subject our
advances will only be in dishonor. H. HOOKER.