On 10/12/11 11:39 AM, Achal Prabhala wrote:
A friend of mine in South Africa, Isabel Hofmeyr,
passed on this image
of the first page of the first edition of the English translation of
Gandhi's "Hind Swaraj" - or "Indian Home Rule" in translation.
(Hind
Swaraj was the blueprint for India's freedom movement).
The book was published in South Africa in 1909, and is rarely available.
Isabel was able to see it courtesy Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, who owns a copy.
And the copyright legend on this front page?
It reads: "No rights reserved"
Isabel and Uma kindly offered to donate the image to Commons, and you
can see it here:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gandhi-Home-Rule-First-Edition-1909.…
Finally, an answer to the great copyright question that has never been
asked: "What would Gandhi do?" :)
A copy of the 1921 G. A. Natesen printing from Madras is available on
Internet Archives. It includes a new foreword.
http://www.archive.org/stream/hindswarajorindi00ganduoft#page/n3/mode/2up
Is the Gujarati original available anywhere? Not that I would be able
to do anything with it, but there is always a benefit to having such
versions for those who would prefer alternative translations.
What Gandhi would do is of no concern to a copyright troll looking to
make a buck. :-)
Ray