to a great extent. One, two, or three hundred
copies of large works are cheaply furnished, and the market is thus just
so far occupied as to forbid the printing of an edition of one or more
thousands--to the material injury of paper-makers, printers, and
book-binders, and without any corresponding benefit to the foreign author.
Under the proposed system this would be done to a great extent.

Admit, however, that the spirit of the law be fully complied with, and let
us see its effects. Mr. Dickens sells his book in England for 21_s_.
($5.00); and he will, of course, desire to have for it here as large a
price as it will bear. Looking at our prices for those books which are
copyright and of which the sale is large, he finds that "Bleak House"
contains four times as much as the "Reveries of a Bachelor," which sells
for $1.25, and he will be most naturally led to suppose that $3 is a
reasonable price. The number of copies of his book that has been supplied
to American readers, through newspapers and magazines, is certainly not
less than 250,000, and the average cost has not been' more than fifty
cents, giving for the whole the sum of

$125,000

To supply the same number at his price would cost.
750,000

Difference
$625,000

Of Mr. Bulwer's last work, the number that has been supplied to American
consumers is probably but about two thirds as great, and the difference
might not amount to more than

$350,000

Mr. Macaulay would not be willing to sell his book more cheaply than that
of Mr. Bancroft's is sold, or $2 per volume, and he might ask $2.50.
Taking it at the former price, the 125,000 copies that have been sold
would cost the consumer
$500,000

They have been supplied for
100,000

The difference would be
$400,000

Mr. Alison's work would make twelve such volumes as those of Mr. Bancroft,
and his price would not be less than $25. The sale has amounted, as I
understand, to 25,000 copies, which would give as the cost of the whole

$625,000

The price at which they have been sold is $5, giving
125,000

Difference
$500,000

Of "Jane Eyre" there have been sold 80,000, and if the price had been
similar to that of "Fanny Fern," they would have cost the consumers.

$100,000

They have cost about
25,000

Difference
$75,000

Total result of a "few cents" on five books, $1,950,000

Under the system of international copyright, one of two things must be
done--eithe