And, if that weren't cute enough, on the page opposite, I find this disclaimer:This portion of the life of a man of to-day is offered
in the hope that in cleanliness, poetic temperament and mental force, a likeness
will be seen
to
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign
languages, including the Scandinavian.
Would any of you know why the Scandinavian languages were singled out, as if we wouldn't normally include them in the pantheon of "foreign languages?"
( The Harvester was published in 1911.)
Edited to add: See my daughter Violet's comment on this post. She gives a little info on Copyright Law at the turn of the 20th century.
2 comments :
Adorable! And I think "the Scandinavian" is hilarious, as if there were only one language.
My best guess (I know this from my L.M. Montgomery work): foreign copyrights at this time were very sketchy. Europe did not generally recognize American copyright, and in fact one had to copyright in different countries to protect one's work. Otherwise publishers would just pick up a copy of your book and run it themselves, paying you nothing (didn't this happen to Dickens?).
Perhaps the Scandinavian countries required special mention to be sure that yes, indeed, she was copyrighted there, too.
If I find out more, I'll let you know!
Violet
I love Gene Stratton Porter books--and children's lit in general. Thanks for stopping by my blog. How fun to browse around yours and get to know the players in your drama here. I'm guessing you live up northish somewhere! Hope spring lavishes you with its splendor soon!
Post a Comment