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443

5.

Proof of the Illegality of
Reprinting

A Rationale and a Parable

      When we eliminate bad reasons we make room for
better ones. Such was the verdict handed down recently
by a court held in high esteem for its rank and, even more so,
its justice. And so too thought the author of the essay,
“Publishing from the Perspective of the Writer, the Publisher,
and the Public, Reconsidered,” in the Deutsches Magazin
in April, 1791. It seemed to Mr. Reimarus that the illegality
of reprinting books had not yet been proven by the arguments
advanced so far, and by appearing to defend the practice
he hoped to challenge scholars to come up with better ones.
For he cannot possibly have meant his position to be taken
seriously; he cannot possibly have wanted to see the defense
of a practice prevail which fills all right-thinking
minds with loathing.
      His essay is divided, according to the nature of
the subject, into two questions: one concerns the

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Berlinische Monatsschrift 21 (1793)