Routledge Nineteenth-Century Transatlantic Reprinting and the Embodied Book

Explore how British and American publishers transformed texts during the pre-copyright era in this academic study from Routledge's Nineteenth-Century Transatlantic Studies series. Before the Chace Act of 1891 established international copyright protection, publishers freely edited texts, excerpted passages, added illustrations, and redesigned book appearances across the Atlantic. Jessica DeSpain's research examines this period of textual instability, revealing how the physical book functioned as a crucial medium for cultural exchange between Britain and the United States. Despite the radical editorial freedom and constant transformation of texts during reprinting, the enduring metaphor of the book as the author's physical embodiment persisted. This scholarly work investigates the tension between textual mutability and authorial identity, offering insights into nineteenth-century publishing practices, transatlantic literary culture, and the material history of the book.