Every lover of books will remember that during the continuance of the arrangement, a Canadian Publishing Trade hardly existed, and that the reading public who bought books were compelled in a great measure to satisfy themselves with American reprints, of so little value that specimens of them are now regarded almost as curiosities.

Prior to 1887, a Canadian author was entitled to little protection under the Copyright Laws of European countries, and prior to 1891 was entitled to no protection whatever under the Copyright Laws of the United States.  In 1886 the Imperial Parliament passed an Act which provides in effect, that the British Copyright Acts shall apply to a book first produced in Canada or any other British possession, in like manner as they apply to a work first produced in the United Kingdom.  If the book is copyrighted at Ottawa, a certificate of registration signed by the Minister of Agriculture is proof in all Courts throughout the Empire of the existence of such copyright.  No registration in England is required.

In 1887, a comparatively uniform system of International Copyright was established under the Berne Convention, which applies to the British Empire, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Tunis, Hayti and Montenegro.  These countries comprise what is called, “The Copyright Union.”  Under this Convention Canadian authors enjoy in the other countries of the Union for their works—­whether published in one of those countries or unpublished—­the rights which the respective laws grant to natives. (Austria-Hungary has a separate Convention with Great Britain on the lines of the Berne Convention, from the benefits of which Canada is expressly excepted).  A book, therefore, first produced in Canada and registered at Ottawa, obtains at once the same copyright advantages throughout the British Dominions and the Copyright Union, that it would enjoy if first produced in the United Kingdom and registered at Stationers’ Hall in London.

Prior to 1891, books written in any part of the Empire were public property in the United States, and, although there were many honorable exceptions amongst American publishers of reputation, such books were as a rule appropriated on the scramble system, chiefly to supply material for the weekly issues of the cheap “Libraries,” such as “The Seaside” and “The Franklin Square.”  The “fifteen cent quarto” of the Libraries was not a book; it was usually sold for railway reading, and thrown away at the end of the journey.  Canada was deluged with these productions.