Janellyn51 asked Matthew Pearl:

I was just looking at my copy of Robinson Crusoe, which doesn't have a date of publication....the dedication, Puzzle Prize Mary A. Galivan 1884, so pretty old.....I was wondering about bookaneers, did they only pirate books before they were published anywhere? I know I saw you at Porter Square and you had a pirated edition of a book, I can't remember how you can tell the difference! Can I have a refresher course?

Matthew Pearl Thanks for asking Janellyn! Books could have been pirated at any time, not just before they were published. Robinson Crusoe, though, would be a very particular case study one would have to research. It was published so early, 1719, so I'm not sure what the copyright issues would look like over time for it, and Defoe died around 1730. My guess is it wouldn't really have any copyright applying by the 19th century. Sounds like a great edition to have, though!

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