Book

Taking it for granted that the question, Whether the sale of a book unreservedly, implies a sale, for use, of the ideas described in it?

It is not legally necessary, therefore, that an author should give notice, in his book, that he retains his copyright, or any other right in the ideas described.

It will be seen at once that much of the same reasoning, that is applicable to books, and the ideas described in them, is applicable also to machines, and the ideas, after which they are constructed.

An old book, called “English Liberties,” says:

“English Parliaments have all along been most zealous for preserving this great Jewel of Liberty, trials by juries having no less than fifty-eight several times, since the Norman Conquest, been established and confirmed by the legislative power, no one privilege besides having been ever so often remembered in parliament.

Come, boy, take the book and read.

What hinders us from reading it now?

so that I have pretty much the whole talk written down.

Legal possession does not necessarily coincide either with actual physical control or the present power thereof (the “detention” of Continental terminology), or with the right to possess (constantly called “property” in our books);

all else is [mere] elaboration of books.

Having studied the book, the wise one—[having grasped its truth] through knowledge and realized insight—should discard the book entirely, just as one seeking the grain [discards] the palāla (chaff/straw left after threshing grain).

Six years ago I embodied the thing in a little book entitled Labour Capitalisation, and I have ever since been assailed (especially by individualists) as the patentee of a quack pill for the cure of poverty.