I would be POed if I found my book for free on Google Books how would I keep it off and keep it rare?
I’m not sure I understand your question. Is this a book you wrote, or a rare collectable you own and want to make sure you recover the investment on?
Lawsuits filed against Google for copyright violations have resulted in decisions favorable to Google by the courts. In 2016 the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal concurring with the decision of a lower court.
Rare books are often old first editions. A mass produced reprint is not rare. And Google is not even a book.
Unless permsion is specifically granted by the copyright holder, Google cannot not legally put a book online with unrestricted access that was published after 1923. The boooks that are available for free download from Google are typically published 1923 or earlier.
I’m not understanding this either. Are you trying to keep the information in your book secret, attainable only to those wealthy enough to pay big bucks for the knowledge?
Even for Raymond types, the answer would have to be the latter: the original author seldom benefits from resale of books that have “appreciated” at dealers. (The author may be motivated, as David Wardale was, to re-issue a significant work if the aftermarket ‘agio’ on it gets too high, but very seldom is ‘making a profit’ from the re-issue a major factor in such a decision.)
It would certainly be nice if authors received some percentage of each resale of one of their copyrighted books. Have fun trying to figure out how to do that, or how to enforce the payment!
Let’s look at an equivalent:
Daddy Bigbucks bought a Ming vase, certified by the Koumintang Government as a genuine historical artifact.
A few years later, Antiques ‘R’ Us started selling cheap plastic copies of Daddy’s vase, using info taken from photos.
Then the Art for Everyone Society developed a 3-D print program for the same vase, available free on the internet. If you want your own Ming vase, just download the program to your 3-D printer and make one. Or you can just look at the pretty pictures on-screen.
Has Daddy Bigbucks’ genuine antique Ming vase lost value? Not to the serious collectors of antique Ming vases, it hasn’t. They wouldn’t touch that plastic junk with your ten foot pole.
Likewise, a real first edition hardcopy book, properly cared for, will always have collectible value for people who want that. For people who just want the information and are content to read off a screen or use reams of their own paper…
Two different markets, two different mindsets.
Chuck (Occasional hobby author)
I have seen portions of rare copyrighted train books available online.
Just as with music, printed or recorded, it is stealing–but most internet users simply do not care. My other hobby is music, live performance…It is my opinion that it does lower the value of the original every time someone pirates it. Why on earth would I buy the rare train book when I can download it for free???
There are books recently out of print going for 3 times full msrp. The incentive to download those books is very high for some. I have not but in my case seeing a couple pages here and there in auction listings has helped me to decide I didn’t really need that particular book at all.
I am looking for a book that sold for $60 called Texas & Pacific Color Pictorial. Amazon has it used with markups at $125, and some folks are asking ss much as $500. I am sure people will download versus pay the fee…I just do without hoping for a bargain to appear.
Man, hit the train shows and used book dealers, even antique and flea markets, and keep your fingers crossed, you might get lucky. Another good source are library deasession sales, every once in a while libraries will clear out books that haven’t been checked out or even touched for a number of years. As a matter of fact, I’ve got a copy of Jeffrie’s “Norfolk and Western, Giant of Steam” deasessioned from the Library of Congress, got it from a used book dealer and don’t think I paid more than $25 for it.
I’ve scored on numerous occasions. And besides, you can’t beat the thrill of the hunt!
Didn’t meet the CREW formula 8/3/MUSTIE, eh? Bet it was the first edition.
Ex-library copies often trade at stiff discount. That doesn’t affect the reading or usefulness…
Yep, first edition! The solon’s loss was my gain!
And politicians wonder why they get so little respect!
Anyway, I bought it from a local bookseller called Collector’s Companion. While they don’t specialize in railbooks they’ve come across quite a few in the 20+ years I’ve been purchasing from them, so if there’s something you’re looking for you may want to give them a shout.
www.collectorscompanion.com You never know.
Before calling the use of the internet, “Stealing,” note two things:
- Usually, only a portion containing common (available from multiple sources) information is available for free browsing or download. Other portions of that rare first edition come up, “This page not available’” or something similar.
- The entity which uploaded the document may have received permission from the copyright owner, or the copyright might have run out. Last time I looked, the copyright goes to public domain a half-century or so after the death of the author unless revised and renewed by the current holder.
So the question remains, are you looking for the thrill of owning a rare first edition book, or are you simply seeking the information it contains. I, personally, am an information freak, and I don’t care if I find it on the internet, at a rare book store or handscribbled on scratch paper rolled up in a can that previously contained potato chips. The rare book store is the source of last resort - and the one I deal with has gotten me a lot of books at less-than-publisher prices.
Chuck (Researcher and occasional author)
i agree with others that doubt buyers of a rare book are interested in its contents. They value the physical items. If they are interested in reading the book, they probably read a copy.
Escher would destroy the plates used to make prints after a limited number wree made in order to increase the value of the prints.
I use Google Books frequently to access publications that are in the public domain; however I seldom use it to access the redacted versions of publications that are not. My primary railroading interest is locomotive performance. One concept that I’ve learned from my Google Books searches for old publications is that information on locomotive performance was much more widely publicized a century-or-so ago than it has been recently. Google books has provided me with a great deal of information that I once would have had to seek at multiple depositories. I doubt that any of it originated in “rare” books that are still copyright protected.
www.arizonahobbies.com One copy T&P Color Pictorial available @ $125.00. Owner is UP engineer by trade, I order from him frequently. Also great prices on current books and DVDs! I doubt if you’ll find Steve Goen’s T&P book at a more reasonable price!
Virtually unknown and partially financed by T&P is the book titled Tomorrow in West Texas: Economic Opportunities Along the Texas & Pacific Railway by Sidney L. Miller. Prepared by the West Texas Chamber of Commerce; Publisher Texas Tech Press 1956 Hardcover 643 pages Copies easily found; reasonably priced.
No illustrations but dustjacket has photo of T&P F units on front with view looking out at arid West Texas country from observation car on back. Has chapter on railroads as well as industry, cattle, oil, natural gas, agriculture, water, air and highway transportation, and much more.
A great read about West Texas 60 years ago!
Thanks much for the book tip. They have some great stuff on hand which I will try to pick up once I sell some HO stuff.
Regarding my stealing comment above…as an even part time musician this issue hits close to home. Those sites that show a page or two…a good musician can then steal the entire song and at that point is stealing royalties from the composer or arrangers who never get much anyway.
In books I have seen entire books available online which I am very sure were still copyrighted. I was stunned. Perhaps they were licensed but perhaps not. I know pirated music and other media is a huge issue.
I also am one person who buys rare train books, reads them, and then often resells them later once I have learned what I want to learn. Most libraries don’t have these…If you are careful you can read them and maintain mint condition.
I have had diverse train interests and could not possibly afford to keep all the books I have read, and there’s always more to read.
John
Welcome to the world of rare book buyers John. I have done the same thing. I treasure my 99.99% mint copy of Morris Cafky’s Colorado Midland for example.
Ditto with Denver, South Park & Pacific Pictorial, numbered and signed by all three authors, still in the original shipping carton addressed to noted railroad historian David F. Myrick (who authored books on the Railroads of AZ NM and NV) to his 1958 San Francisco, Calif. address! I plan to sell it and the limited slip case edition of The South Park Line by Malloy Hope Ferrell as a set in the near future though. You just can’t keep’em all you know.
What amazes me are the number of books by renowned railroad and sport author S. Kip Farrington Jr, which some dealers demand unrealistic high prices on the Abe Books site. These books were not limited editions and are NOT rare by any means. Farrington visited the railroads he wrote about and rode the trains as related in his books. They remain great reads even today in 2017 as they show how men railroaded during WWII and into the post-war era as well.
I understand your frustration regarding piracy of copyrighted material. Sadly, we live in an age of crooks and con men. Just look at the presidential campaign we watched unfold on TV and the lies and fake news that was spread by both the candidates as well as the media! In one word: Disgusting!
Good luck on obtaining a copy of the T&P Color Pictorial at a reasonable price. Sorry, my copy is a keeper!
Joe
Well I do believe some of S. Kip Farrington’s books are rare. I never see them. The Santa Fe’s Big Three is a great read! Unfortunately either Lloyd Stagner’s memory or note taking skills were very questionable because throughout his Santa Fe in Color series published by Morning Sun, when Stagner quotes loco power figures, he often gets the numbers wrong and he lists Farrington’s work as a source.
I have learned the hard way to check the original source material especially with regard to steam locomotive data, thanks to Mr. Stagner…
So far as purchases go I had to buy and read Southern Pacific’s Ten-Coupled Locomotives before the T&P book.
John