[FOM] Reprinting the classics

[Timothy Y. Chow]

On Thu, 11 Oct 2012, Roger Bishop Jones wrote:
> So the principle obstacle to the re-publication, either
> digitally or in print, of out-of-print titles is simply
> permission of the copyright holder.

This is correct.  But I think you underestimate the enormous obstacles 
that copyright poses.  Even books whose copyright status is murky pose 
a problem; here's one interesting article on the subject:

http://www.technologyreview.com/featured-story/427628/the-library-of-utopia/

And this is not to mention the books whose copyright holders are known but 
uncooperative.  In those cases, I believe that collecting information 
about the demand for the book can, in some cases, persuade the copyright 
holders to allow the book to be republished.  In the case of Dominic 
Welsh's Matroid Theory, the principal obstacle I faced was that of 
convincing Welsh that people were still interested in his book.

Tim