Shakespeare in Fact and in Criticism

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887 edition. Excerpt: ... HAVE elsewhere called attention to the fact that whatever " copyright," or right to literary property (of whatever description or by whatever name called) obtained in Shakespeare's lifetime, was not by virtue.of any statute, but at common law and so perpetual. It follows, therefore, that could we trace the present heirs or assigns of whoever owned the literary rights existing in the plays in Shakespeare's own lifetime, we would find the present owners of those invaluable and constantly reprinted possessions. It was not from any lawyer's instinct or hope of finding a party in whose behalf I coidd institute proceedings for piracy--not only against every living editor, and almost every existing publishing house, but for an accounting and mesne profits against the legal representatives of all the editors and publishers since 1616--but from curiosity that I asked my friend, Mr. John Wallace Bell, to set on foot an inquiry as to whether we had any Shakespeares in America. Indeed, had I cherished only the sordid motive, I should have instructed him to search rather for assigns of John Heminges and Henry Condell, Jaggard, Blount, Arthur Johnson, R. Boniars, H. Walley and all the others (including, perhaps, the unspeakable and shadowy "T. T.") who chiseled Shakespeare--the engrossed man of affairs and proprietor of two theaters--and his assigns out of so much that equitably ought to have been his and theirs. Mr. Bell was advised to hold his search closely to the name Shakespeare. And it is because I think the results of his search interesting (unsatisfactory as they are in the capital object) that I have asked permission to summarize his results here. It seems that on the ninth day of February, 1884, there were just thirty persons (males) in the...