Books, Arts & Manners: J. R. R. Tolkien and the Pirates

When Dickens followed his reputation to the United States—and got a reception rivaled only by that of the Beatles—he quickly made himself unpopular by saying right out what the refined and polite thought no cultivated person would mention, namely that American publishers were pirates. They printed and sold books by Englishmen and Europeans with nobody’s leave and with never a nickel of royalties paid. By 1891, this situation was alleviated, as books in English by non-Americans could then be copyrighted here. But not until 1955, when the Berne Convention was signed by all countries except those under the Socialist Enlightenment, did the rights of foreign authors have any real protection. However, the loopholes are still so capacious that books printed in England and distributed in the U.S. can still tempt bold pirates. Thus Ace Books, Inc., has brought out a three-volume edition of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, one of the great works of modern literature. Such barbarity, incredibly, is beyond the law’s protection. Prof. Tolkien has therefore authorized Ballantine Books to bring out a lawful edition in paperback (as well as The Hobbit, just in case the pirates go for that). This edition, moreover, will contain additional material, and can be identified by this statement on the cover: “This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and cooperation. Those who approve of courtesy—at least to living authors—will purchase it and no other.—J. R. R. Tolkien.” And those who approve of honesty will discriminate between pirate and rightful owner in buying the noblest book of our time.

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Guy Davenport

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When Dickens followed his reputation to the United States—and got a reception rivaled only by that of the Beatles—he quickly made himself unpopular by saying right out what the refined and polite thought no cultivated person would mention, namely that American publishers were pirates. They printed and sold books by Englishmen and Europeans with nobody’s leave and with never a nickel of royalties paid. By 1891, this situation was alleviated, as books in English by non-Americans could then be copyrighted here. But not until 1955, when the Berne Convention was signed by all countries except those under the Socialist Enlightenment, did the rights of foreign authors have any real protection. However, the loopholes are still so capacious that books printed in England and distributed in the U.S. can still tempt bold pirates. Thus Ace Books, Inc., has brought out a three-volume edition of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, one of the great works of modern literature. Such barbarity, incredibly, is beyond the law’s protection. Prof. Tolkien has therefore authorized Ballantine Books to bring out a lawful edition in paperback (as well as The Hobbit, just in case the pirates go for that). This edition, moreover, will contain additional material, and can be identified by this statement on the cover: “This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and cooperation. Those who approve of courtesy—at least to living authors—will purchase it and no other.—J. R. R. Tolkien.” And those who approve of honesty will discriminate between pirate and rightful owner in buying the noblest book of our time.