A Mobile book
--Copyright.--In acknowledging the receipt of a handsome copy of the Revised and now edition of the ‘"Rifle and Infantry Tactics,"’ by
Col. W. J. Hardes, published in this city by S. H. Gobthed & Co., in two heat little volumes, called 24 me., we take a pride in recognising in them a new proof of the power of Southern independence and a new mental ornament to our city.
The typographical work does a great deal of credit to the
Register's Job Office, in which one volume was printed, and to the printing establishment of
J. Y. Thompson,
Esq., for the other
The lithographs are all astonish highly well done, and are pronounced by
Col. Hardee to be better than those in the
Philadelphia edition of the Lippincotts.
Generally such diagrams are executed by wood cuts, and printed on ordinary presses — While in this instance the plates were all transferred to larger stones, and the impressions taken by the slow processes of the lithographers, which is very laborious, extremely expensive and requires a great deal of time.
But for that, the publishers inform us. the work should have been published in less than half of the time.
We must also pay our compliments to the blunders, who have done credit to themselves and to the work.
With our profound admiration of the mechanical part of the work, we will now mention that this in the only edition which in authorised by the author himself; that this edition was published by copyright — and it is the first copyright under the
Confederates States of
America.
This edition in the only one which contains all the improvements and changes which the author has recently made.
In face of all those advantages, several spurious additions of the so called ‘"
Hardee's Tactics,"’ and which are nothing but mutilated chapters of some parts of the former edition, have been pul upon the public.
Not one of them has even the complete reprint of the old and unrevised edition if — as the publishers of these mutilated editions say, under the plea of patriotic necessity — the emergency of the time required the Tactics every where, they at least owed it to the public to state what kind of an edition they were offering.
And having used the name and the labors of the distinguished author to their own advantage, it was also due to him to have paid him the allowance, per copy published, which belonged to him. it publishers do not respect rights like these, we ask, what will hereafter on the value of a copyright in the
Confederate States of America.
It is against the etiquette of the trade, as we understand it, to republish a non-copyright book, after it is announced that the same is in press by a member of the trade; how much more so does it violate the etiquette and the property if such a republication is done in opposition to a copyright
It was hardly to have been expended from the members of the respectable book trade in the
South that they would countenance such trespasses and we still hope that they will unite in close fraternity to protect such other and the authors from any further violation of such a right.
The proper spirit should move them to return all the spurious editions to their illegal publishers, and make known to the legitimate publishers how many they have sold of the spurious editions.
In a case like this the code of honor should be more vigilant than even the code of justice.--
Mobile (Ala.) and
Advertiser.
jy
