The Admirable Bashville is a product of the British law of copyright. As that law stands at present, the first person who patches up a stage version of a novel, however worthless and absurd that version may be, and has it read by himself and a few confederates to another confederate who has paid for admission in a hall licensed for theatrical performances, secures the stage rights of that novel, even as against the author himself; and the author must buy him out before he can touch his own work for the purposes of the stage...As a good Socialist I do not at all object to the limitation of my right of property in my own works to a comparatively brief period, followed by complete Communism: in fact, I cannot see why the same salutary limitation should not be applied to all property rights whatsoever; but a system which enables any alert sharper to acquire property rights in my stories as against myself and the rest of the community would, it seems to me, justify a rebellion if authors were numerous and warlike enough to make one."

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Dramatic Opinions and Essays. 2 vols. Net , $2.50 Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant. 2 vols. Net , $2.50 John Bull's Other Island and Major Barbara. Net , $1.50 Man and Superman Net , $1.25 Three Plays for Puritans Net , $1.25 The Doctor's Dilemma, Getting Married, and The Shewing Up of Blanco Posnet. Net , $1.50 The Quintessence of Ibsenism $1.00 Cashel Byron's Profession $1.25 An Unsocial Socialist $1.25 The Irrational Knot $1.50 The Author's Apology Net , ... Continue reading book >>