[Rarebooks] F/S First American Copyright Law

[Garry R Austin]

FIRST NEWSPAPER PRINTING OF THE 
FIRST AMERICAN COPYRIGHT LAW
"The Copyright Act of 1790 was the first federal copyright act to be instituted in the United States, though most of the States had passed various legislation securing copyrights in the years immediately following the Revolutionary War. The stated object of the act was the "encouragement of learning," and it achieved this by securing authors the "sole right and liberty of printing, reprinting, publishing and vending" the copies of their "maps, charts, and books" for a term of 14 years, with the right to renew for one additional 14 year term should the copyright holder still be alive". Wikipedia
Gazette Of The United States. New York: John Fenno, June 5, 1790.           $750.00
First printing, Folio, 15.75 x 9.75 inches, on one sheet; pp. 4; printed three columns to the page, first page with masthead in large decorative letters; very good, stitch holes, minor foxing; First newspaper printing of the first American Copyright Law. The bi-weekly Gazette of the United States, as the semi-official organ of the new federal government, was the first to press with many congressional resolutions including the Bill Of Rights. It was the precursor of the Congressional Globe. OCLC cites Fenno as the only publisher of this act. Evans 46037, apparently a separate two page printing (New York: 1790). A subsequent printing of the law appeared in Benjamin Russel's Boston Columbian Centinel, June 12, 1790.  Other news in this issue includes Proceedings of the Meeting of the Society Of The Cincinnati; Death and Burial of Col. Theodorick Bland; Military Appointments and Congressional news. The piece has been handsomely framed, and double glassed.


Garry R Austin
mail at austinsbooks.com
Austin's Antiquarian Books
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802 464-8438