The New York herald., 1879-02-03

history" Copyright undoubtedly signifies the right
to multiply copies of any literary production. but
applied dramatic compositions it is not intended.
but covers the exclusive right of representing play
in some special form.
According to Mr.. Drone playwright in the United
States is secured by the statute in published and
lists by the common law in unpublished, dramatic
compositions. The English statute the right
of performing both printed aud manuscript dramas.
and virtually takes away common law playwright in
unpublished well in published plays.
The matter of the protection of American authors
by our common law is. perhaps. less understood
than are the copyright laws under the statute
When, for instance, a newspaper publishes report
of lecture in which parts of the writer's text
quoted the authors rights invaded and the
newspaper is rendered liable for any damages that
the lecturer may succeed in proving. Custom, of
course, shows that full reports of lectures are
garded with favor by lecturers from commercial
point of view but there exceptions to this rule,
and it may yet be reserved for Eli Perkins to
make test of this point Mr.. Drone holds that
the principle is clear that such Of unpublished
production is piratcal 1T is the same in princi-
ple.' he says las the unlicensed representation of
manuscript play
The impression that very generally exists among
publishers and authors that the deposit of the
printed title of book, play. chart painting or en-
craving with the Librarian of Congress. with the
fees is sufficient to secure the copyright. is shown
concusively by Mr.. Drone's citations OF authorities
to be altogether erroneous. No copyright is COM
plete valuable in of action for violation of
such unless the other provisions OF the act-viz.,
the delivery of two copies of the book article to
the Librarian of Congress within ten days of pubca-
tion and the printing of the usual form Of the copy
right entry the book article as prescribed by
playwright. therefore. under the statute. the play
must be printed two copies sent and the entry made
as indicated. 1t is common law that protects the
work in the manuscript form. in which most dra
matte authors prefer for obvious reasons. to retain
original works Of this class.
The question as to whether on sale on execution
of stereotype plates the copyright goes with the
plates or not which has often been mooted among
publishers is decided in the negative by Mr. Drone.
'The copyright in a work" he says, is entirely dis
tinct from the property in the stereotype plates
from which it is printed. and sale execution
gives the buyer right to print and publish copies
of the work. In voluntary sale at auction or
otherwise Of the plates by the owner the rights of
the buyer to be determined by the intention Of
the owner, whether not formal assignment of the
copyrights has or has not been made. In the chap
ter on international copyright. it is disclosed that
tween England and some OF the Continental nation
alites and Mr. Drones keen dissection of the statute
of our own country has discovered that there is
bar whatever to resident of the United States OBJ
tanning copyright as proprietor for any painting
drawing, chrome, statue art model design pro-
duced by q foreigner from whom he has purchased
such.
Although only an infnitesimal proportion of the
copyrights obtained from the Librarian of Congress
are ever contested in the courts, publishers and
thors almost invariably pay the double fee required
to secure a certificate of copyright well the
official record of the entry. AS the latter is alone
required to make the copyright Valid provided the
conditions previously noted are complied with, it
would seem that some misunderstanding to the
proper fee exists. Last year there $4,000 copy
rights granted and about $4,000 received for them,
showing that the double fee usually paid as the
necessary fee for recording is but fifty cents 1t is
extremely doubtful if this unprecedented iberality
of copyright seekers to Uncle Sam will be continued
so extensively in the future, now that Mr.. Drone
has pointed out so clearly the requirements Of the
statute.
As to the merits of Mr. Drones work valuable
work Of reference there can be but opinion. 1t
is both comprehensive and exhaustive. and has the
exceptional advantage Of covering completely the
statutes and interpretations of the law Of copyright
both in Great Britain and the United States. As
the book is aside from its legal aspect of Pc
culiar value to the large circle of publishers and
writer's who have especial interest in this subject
It would seem that its publishers would do well to
issue special edition for the regular book trade in
form better adapted to the library of the literary
worker than is its present substantial but cumbrous
shape.
CHAMBERS CYCLoPEDIA OF ENGLISH LITERA-
TURE."
The American Book Exchange has issued the
'Acme" edition Of Robert Chambers well-known
Cyclopedia of Literature-the first work of it's kind
published in England. The work originally brought
out in 1sl3 was designed to supply literary def
cheney that then existed-namely, popular chrome
logical series of extracts from the best known Eng
lish and American authors; epitome of the pro-
ductions of the English intellect from the Anglo
Saxon writer's to those of recent times. second
edition of this work published in 1853. and this.
the third edition. has, after interval Of twenty
years, been prepared with careful revisions, con-
tinuing the extracts and biographical notices to
the present time. The present issue is to comprise
eight volumes, and the first includes notes and
tracts from Beowulf and Caedmon to Gosson
and Puttenham Q590) The volume contains
400 pages, and, while the edition cannot be com
mended for its Typography for its paper. it will
have permanent value to many whose means will
not permit them to own the larger works of this
class that have. in measure, taken the place
held by this Cyclopedia.
SPIRITUAL SONGS"
Rev. Charles s. Robinson. d. d.. has arranged
selection of hymns for sacred worship (scribner x
Coz which exceptional in the excellence of the
musical settings In the list of composers we find
Won Weber. Handel Haydn. Mcndelssohn. Beethoven.
Bach. Pleyel Zcnncr. Bradbury. Cherubini. Herod,
Rossini Mehul. Mozart. Rousseau. Barnby, Blumen-
thai Donizetti, Wallace, Giardni. Sullivan. Schcin.
Rimbault. Zundel Hatton, Root Mason. Sankey aud
othersfrom the sublime to those of the lesser order
For the of choirs with leaning toward the pro-