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found old English book

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B

barbin

Guest
I have found a 112-year old book (printed in 1890) which I wish to "re-publish". I have tried to find the descendents of the author but cannot. I can also find no reference to this work or its author anywhere. It's one-of-a-kind and a real "treasure". But it's in Public Domain.

Is there anything I can do to secure ownership or rights - even in part - since I found this little "treasure"? Is "public domain" irreversible? . And if so, then how should I approach a publishing company (if I just send the book or a copy of it to a publishing house - then they've "found it " and own it also.
CALIFORNIA
 


T

T-DESIGNER

Guest
What do you mean by "English book"? Do you mean it is a book
written in English, or it is an English text book?

If you are confident the book will make the Best Sellers List, do
research on the internet about "Nondisclosure Agreements",
search this message board, and/or consult with an attorney
about drawing up an agreement for you. I highly recommend
using an attorney in this situation because the publisher will
definitely be using attorneys to look at any agreement you
submit to them.

By the way, does the book say it was copyrighted? If yes, the
Library of Congress probably has a copy of it in their archives.
Is the publisher still in business? See if you can discreetly
determine how many copies were published.

If the book is a great success, you could probably auction
your original copy, and name your price!

You and the publisher must determine, whether or not to use the
original title and author's name. If you choose to use another
title, it would seem you would have to publish the book without
any author's name being stated. Either case, you will probably
be unable to say it is copyrighted, or to have it registered with
the U.S. Copyright Office. However, your publisher will probably
be able to give the best recommendations on what to do. Your
publisher may want to use the fact that it was originally
printed/published in 1890 as a selling point, or they may be
legally required to so.

But, "first things first!"
 
B

barbin

Guest
T-designer,That was such a wealth of advice, thank you.
To answer your questions:
I should have been more clear:, "the book was written in England. (it's an autobiography).
Also, I can find mention on the internet of the original publisher (actually called himself "printer," and long since out of business) but the book is not labeled with any copyright).
Finally, I would only want to give full name and credit to the author - ie. to keep the integrity of her work intact, but I would like to write a forward and also negotiate some compensation with the publisher.
You have put me on my way, thanks again,
 
C

counsel

Guest
You should hire an attorney who has experience in negotiating book contracts.
 
T

T-DESIGNER

Guest
As a matter of precaution, you might want to contact the
following web site in England:

http://WWW.ALCS.CO.UK

1. I don't know if U.S. copyright laws apply to books/etc
copyrighted in England.

2. I do not know if the "public domain" concept/doctrine applies
in England.

3. Although the printer of your book may have gone out of
business, another publisher/printer may have acquired/bought
the copyrights. Please note the above web site discusses
reversionary rights.

4. Although the author of your book is deceased, another
publisher/printer/author/person may have inherited/acquired/
bought the copyrights.

You should be able to ask them what you are wanting to do
without providing too many details; e.g., you are wanting to
get a book republished that was printed/published prior
1900, but the original printer/publisher is no longer in
business. Since this is a membership organization, they may
be unwilling to provide you with any answers; but they may
be willing to refer you to some message boards/forums which
discuss copyright laws in England, especially for authors.

The above site provides links to similar membership organizations
in England. You will need to click on "Other useful sites", which
is showing in the upper left-hand corner of the following web
page:

http://www.alcs.co.uk/pages/main_fs.asp?hub=copy
 
B

barbin

Guest
I really appreciate the answers, thanks. I will follow up on the UK website and yes, I now understand that it's complex enough to hire an attorney (although, I was hoping to avoid this as a 'prerequisite' for startting out on this project.)
I will post any new info and follow ups as FYI's .. thanks.
 

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