The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-22
cANADA,s BooK PTRA TIES.
Reprints OF American works Sent Threush
the MaiIs-What Publishers say.

riuusly exercises the American book makers.
They have sclzed upon the newest American
copyrighted books by popular authors. repro.
duced them In the cheapest possible form. and
advertised in American newspapers to send
them through tho mail. postpaid, to American
readers. for from ono-ilith to one-tenth OF tho
price charged for them by the American pub
l.shers 1t Is true that. M a rule. the cheapest
publications offered on American newsstands
are masterpieces OF topographic beauty by
comparison with these Canadian productions
which are printed with small battered type
upon thin and dirty paper; but nevertheless.
these latter are readable. and contain all that II
in the American books. the reputation ana
profit Of which they thus steal. In these times
the grcat army Of readers care moro for the
matter they read than tho manner in which II is
served up to them
There would hc no difficulty in stopping the
sale Of these Canadian publications by dealers
in this country The copyright law would
afford prompt redress. But 1t seems that
thorc is absolutely no way OF stopping the
pirntica publisher who deals from outside our
borders through the mails. There IL n clearly
defined postal treaty. and there Is no internn-
tional copyright law between the two countries.
Consequently. matter mailed and prepaid In
one country must be delivered IN the other.
matted Is Intended for sale. aud that its trans
poration by mail IL an evasion OF customs
tho Highland exercise Ito open the
suspected packages. and TO put books
therein contained in an unsuitable
condition. by tearing them apart. or other vio-
l-nre. But 1t would be neither legal nor pruc-
tlcnhle 10 exercise over mail matter the close
$50 onayu that alone would be sufficient to shut
out from persons on this side OF the line single
copies OF books sent from the other side by
unknown parties. who. for aught the Post ONCE
tttlI hs
private spondrnts.
l; must be admitted that the Canadians did
not begin this business. There have been many
cheap American reprints 81 English copyright
books sold in Canada. and their sellers have
escaped punishment for the simple reason that
they have been far away from tho Interested
English publishers. or any person representing
them who cared TO 70 to the expense md
market Is comparatively unimportant. But the
interest now attacked Is II gigantic one. Few
other businesses IN IN country have such an
enormous capital invested ms the book publish
er-' business, and our book market ia one well
worthy of defence
IT is quit possible that no relief can be found
short OF the adoption Of nm International copy
right law. a measure Of Justice to both publish
ers and authors for which this Canadian enter
ardent supporters. Under existing circum-
stances. though the Canadians sales must
neres sarily be limited they still afford n very
considerable margin Of profit and will un-
doubleday grow rapidly. Canadian publlca-
ton. sold here Tor fifteen cents. costs the pub
Usher but three cents for transmission through
| the mail. leaving net return Of twelve cents.
| which Is two moro than the average cheapest
| American publications. The expenditure In
| Advertising Is more than Offset by the greater
| cheapness 81 material employed and Of labor
Postmaster James said Yesterday: No power
! exists In the Post Orice Department 10 put Il
stop TO this abuse OF the mail facilities. Matter
mailed in c. NADIA, II its postnge IL prepaid as
| required by law. must be delivered to the per-
| sons in this country TO whom II is addressed
| The treaty. which renders that obligatory.
takes precedence OF The law OF the country.
rNffhf Vt all hat mid
! enter into consideration. | see the impor-
| innce OF the matter, but SEQ no way of nrrestine
| the injury to the interests Of American pub
fishers and authors, other than an internG-
uonnl copyright law"
| Mr. j. ". Harper, Jr.. OF Harper Bros. said
! that the matter WAS one To which his attention
| Ind not been called before It was presented to
! him by THE suns. reporter. but he at once
| recognized It As OF very grave Importance.
| What its bearings might be. and what meas
| ures II might necesstato. he had hot yet had
! time Ia reflect upon; hut he thought II would nj
! least admit of retaliation. His firm had scru-
! puously reirnined from sending to England
! reprints Of English copyrighted books as n
that policy would be maintained. should this
sort Of piracy touch their interests. he was not
| one country OF reprints Of the copyrighted
| works Of the other was concerned, that WAS
practised upon both sides OF the water. and
! h0nors were easy. He believed. however, that
| this thing would lead 90 an international copy
| right uw Tor mutual protection. upon renec,
| from some publishing house In Hartford q
complaint that their works were being piraied
| and sold in this country by Canadian publish
rrs hut he did not know any more than that
] Mr.. Harry Harper would know al about IL.
/ Upon inquiry II appeared that Mr.. Harry Har-
| per had gone for the day. and could not b. seen.
llr. g. ". Carleton said: It il a subject upon
| which American publishers very naturally feel
much excitement. There is no copyright be-
! tween EuEaud and America. Any one on
| cthcr side may print ths others books and sell
| them in bis own country. That is to be- ex-
| posted. and while the law is as IL is. we make
| occasionally.
| where u publisher makes handsome sum out
| OF q foreign book h" recognizes the authors
| right so far as 20 pay him something. That is
| optional. but Is considered me fair thing 10 do
Rut now these Canada devils go to work and
| take our American books and reprint them for
one.t'nth of our prices. and sell them, not only
in Canada. which they have right 10 do, but IN
our own country TO our own customers. Within
a DAY or two they have taken 10 advertising In
New York newspapers that they will send these
reprints here TO American citizens for 10 or ~
cents each reprints Of books that are sold here
az 81. 80 by the publishers who pay for copy
rights upon them. IL Is gross outrage. We
can stop u bookseller here from vending these
things, but II seems that we cannot prevent this
Canadian fellow getting money By mail from
American citizens aud sending them his reprints
Of our books for il, SEQ the extent to which his
piracy il carried. Here is list Of the first lo
~ books he offers. generally ut fifteen cents
hut in one instance going as high as forty cents
There are touy-two OF them. The copyrights
~ sixteen belong 10 my firm. three to Lee a
shepard three u Scrihncr & Co. one each I,
Roterts Bros, Osgood Co., Lippincott & Co.
aud Lockwood Brooks 4 Co. and the others tc
other American publishers whom cannot JUS
now numc Here Is story by Mrs. Mary j
Holmes which We sell 10 dealers for NINETY
cents; retail price. $50. That is "a low as 4
can be- sold by us to pay authors copyright ad
vertsing ~. But this beggar In Canada goes
10 work, makes the same book in his cheap ant
nasty way. and sells il under our noses for NJ
teen cents copy. His type Is dirty and small
| his paper dirty and cheap. but tho story Is al
| there. and he sends II through the null. ant
Uncle sum whose business IL IL supposed to lee Il
! protect American citizens, permits hi i'm "a do il
I ! know that English Custom House officials con
/ u-outr reprints Of English books that they lind il
the baggage of travellers going over from thi,
/ country, and II We get ont a half dozen sumpl,
/ books ia package from m English PUBLISHING
I house through the mil, our Post Olicc author
/ ifie~ tear omen the package and rip the books
/ i'm halves In order that they may not be offere,
/ Tor sue here. There H. abundant protection ol
| Tor Us. Our Government actually assists By
the facilities our mails AFFORD. in deiraudinI
| not only the American publisher. but the Amer
| lean author rs well. For instance, | pay Mrs
| Holmes fifteen cents on each copy OF this stoT'
| that sell But what IL To become of the return
! from my investment in publication. and OF ne
return for her genius and labor II our mRrke
/ j. ~ toe flooded with these cheap reprints of he
/ work The Hnrpers So lar as know. have
! nOt been touched yet by eNnctly this sort O
thing. but they have another ground Tor com
piniut against the Canadian publishers. | hAv
been told that they. in conjunction with an Eng
] is Ia Ia