Posted on 09/4/2006 by Keith
Google announced last week that it would make public domain books download-able in PDF format. While a legitimate use of the technology and the scanning of a number of libraries around the world, in the future a book will be available for download the day it goes out of copyright. While this might not seem like a big deal, as a book dealer what are the chances that I will order 10 copies of Lady Windimere’s Fan 18 months out of the expiration date, knowing that I will be sitting on them when the copyright expires. This may seem like a little issue, but does expand into the value equation of the long tail, works in a long series, and derivatives. Today though, I give you a link to download The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, which every child in the world should read once.
Filed under: Copyright, Public Domain
