Without Copyrights reveals the impact of copyright law on transatlantic modernism in the United States. Key aspects of modernism James Joyce's reputation in America, Ezra Pound's proposals for copyright reform, Samuel Roth's activities as a pirate-pornographer are re-examined in the light of the U.S. law and the voracious public domain it created.
The names of James Joyce and Ezra Pound ring out in the annals of literary modernism, but few recognize the name of Samuel Roth. A brash, business-savvy entrepreneur, Roth made a name--and a profit--for himself as the founding editor and owner of magazines that published selections from foreign writings--especially the risque parts--without permission. When he reprinted segments of James Joyce's epochal novel Ulysses, the author took him to court.
