Rare books and when the copyright public domain might fail in its essential purpose
Let us begin, with a degree of sadness, from the end. This Kat recently read an obituar y (and here ) for William Reese, who died in early June at the age of 62. While Mr. Reese was not a household name, he enjoyed an exalted status among those who had any interest in rare books, especially of Americana vintage (this Kat was familiar with him). It is presumed that while Mr. Reese viewed his engagement with rare books as a commercial venture, he also seemed to see his enterprise in terms of mission. Thus, in one interview, he observed that� �I always had a concept as a person dealing in Americana that I was selling evidence in one form or another.� In another setting, he noted� �The object can sit for 200 years, and nobody can know why it�s needed, no scholar can put in context until that moment when that piece of paper tells a story, provides a connection.� Mr. Reese�s comments regarding the mission of the rare-book-as- preserving-content-for-public-use led this Kat to consider jus...