Copyright Lore

International Copyright Woes Helped Sink Herman Melville’s Reputation in His Lifetime judith Nierman

New York City native Herman advertising costs were deducted. On American readers and reviewers, at that October 18, 1851, the English version was time highly influenced by their English Melville (1819–91) was a rising published with a dedication to Hawthorne counterparts, gave the volume a poor American literary star until the but without Melville’s last-minute title critical reception. Sadly, the publication of change from The Whale to Moby-Dick. one of the great American novels began its 1851 publication in London and Unfortunately, Bentley’s hastily produced author’s slide into obscurity, a process not New York of his magnum opus o n ph s D ivisi gra edition was also an expurgated version, reversed until decades after his death. the victim of Victorian censors, and it was Melville earned only $1,259.45 from Moby-Dick sank his reputation. missing the all-important epilogue, which Moby-Dick according to scholar G. Thomas s and P hoto

The lack of international t tells of the narrator Ishmael’s survival after Tanselle. Bentley printed just 500 copies. the annihilation of the ship, captain, and In America, only 3,215 copies were sold in copyright cooperation played a crew by the white whale. English reviewers Melville’s lifetime, and the book was out of large part in this sad outcome, savaged the volume in part because, as a print when he died in 1891. The Chace Act, first-person narrative, the narrator had to signed into law in March of that year, for which was not reversed until have survived the cataclysmic event at the the first time granted foreigners the ability years after the author’s death. end of the story to tell the tale. to register their copyrights in the United ngress Prin o f Co L ibrary The American version, including the States if their nation provided reciprocal Melville began writing Moby-Dick in 1850 Herman Melville epilogue, was published in New York on recognition of U.S citizens’ copyrights. 1 as an adventure story. However, late in November 14, 1851, by Harper and Brothers. the year he moved with his family to Melville’s plan was to publish his book A deposit copy was received in the Library a farm called Arrowhead in Pittsfield, first in London to secure English copyright of Congress on November 19 of that year. Massachusetts, where he became friends and then, using printing plates made before with author Nathaniel Hawthorne. the English publication, in America as soon Scholars speculate about the effect of as possible to secure American copyright. Read more! this literary relationship on the final form Because the two countries had no copyright s s of Moby-Dick, which has Shakespearian, reciprocity, authors were regularly pirated. To read Moby-Dick, go to Project t biblical, and intellectual overtones far (See “Piracy Inspires ‘Real’ Stage Version of Gutenberg. beyond a simple adventure story. Andrew Children’s Classic” in the March 2010 issue Delbanco, a noted Melville scholar, called of Copyright Notices.) The English publisher To compare the American Moby-Dick o n ph s D ivisi gra the novel “the most ambitious book ever Peter Bentley offered Melville 150 pounds and the British The Whale, go to the conceived by an American writer.” and half the profits after all printing and Melville Electronic Library. ngress Prin o f Co L ibrary and P hoto Arrowhead, where Melville wrote Moby-Dick

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