Permissions, A Survival Guide: Blunt Talk about Art as Intell ectual Propery
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Product Description
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it's a good bet that at least half of those words relate to the picture's copyright status. Art historians, artists, and anyone who wants to use the images of others will find themselves awash in byzantine legal terms, constantly evolving copyright law, varying interpretations by museums and estates, and despair over the complexity of the whole situation. Here, on a white—not a high—horse, Susan Bielstein offers her decades of experience as an editor working with illustrated books. In doing so, she unsnarls the threads of permissions that have ensnared scholars, critics, and artists for years.
Organized as a series of “takes” that range from short sidebars to extended discussions, Permissions, A Survival Guide explores intellectual property law as it pertains to visual imagery. How can you determine whether an artwork is copyrighted? How do you procure a high-quality reproduction of an image? What does “fair use” really mean? Is it ever legitimate to use the work of an artist without permission? Bielstein discusses the many uncertainties that plague writers who work with images in this highly visual age, and she does so based on her years navigating precisely these issues. As an editor who has hired a photographer to shoot an incredibly obscure work in the Italian mountains (a plan that backfired hilariously), who has tried to reason with artists' estates in languages she doesn't speak, and who has spent her time in the archival trenches, she offers a snappy and humane guide to this difficult terrain.
Filled with anecdotes, asides, and real courage, Permissions, A Survival Guide is a unique handbook that anyone working in the visual arts will find invaluable, if not indispensable.
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
A "Must Read" for every non-fiction author
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Comment:
I can't recommend this book highly enough to all non-fiction authors. Not only does it give sound, practical advice on how to acquire rights to reproduce images in printed works, and carefully tackles the difference between copyright permissions and "use" permissions, it also answers all those "what if" questions everyone attempting to find the right illustrations or photographs to accompany their text grapples with. What if I just sneak into a museum and take my own pictures? What if I just scan a picture of the picture I want from a book? What if I just use pictures from sites such as flickr? Why am I still being asked to pay for permission to reproduce something that was made 1000 years ago, surely the artist is dead?! Do yourself a favor: put your manuscript aside for a few hours and read this book now. It's not only full of useful advice, it's also well-written and a delightful read. In fact, even non-authors would enjoy Permissions for its amusing anecdotes and stories drawn from Bielstein's experiences as an Executive Editor at the U. of Chicago Press. Moreover, it raises some very real questions as to the role museums are playing: isn't one of their objectives to make art more accessible to the world? Why then are they the institutions demanding reproduction fees that often prevent authors from being able to illustrate their scholarly and non-fiction works in ways that make reading more enjoyable and educational? Bielstein asks for more reasoned consideration by those who set the fees, and has several good suggestions for how such fees, and/or application of "Fair Use" could help save what otherwise might turn into the death of published, illustrated art books.
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Summary:
Not just for the legal trade
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Comment:
While I can easily see this book as assigned reading in every law school class for intellectual property, it really deserves the greater readership of those who found joy in reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Its erudition is apparent, but never pedantic. The message of concern for our becoming a society that knows the price for everything, but is not willing to share anything of value, is woven skillfully into the fabric of its clever teachings. And for those folks who like a nicely designed hardback book, people who know things about fonts and book cover color, this is a great book to own new. The University of Chicago has given Ms. Bielstein the star treatment she is due.
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Summary:
Unusually well-written manual
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Comment:
Permissions is a useful guide written by an author who knows her craft. (Her description of the multiple headaches she created for herself as she contracted for a photograph of an unknown Sicilian "masterpiece" is simply the most entertaining of her chapters.) Although the book is specially directed to authors preparing scholarly works about art, any writer who requires illustrations will profit (or if they've already been through the drill, perhaps wince) at the sound advice given here. Yet behind Bielstein's banter and helpful suggestions, she makes a serious point, that material supposedly in the public domain is being steadily drawn back into private--and especially, corporate--hands.
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Summary:
Outstandingly clear, usable and readable
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Comment:
Amazing: a book that delivers what it promises. But not only is this book clear-eyed, candid and full of practical advice, it manages at the same time to be both a breezy read and a compelling analysis of disturbing trends in intellectual property. Highly recommended.
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Summary:
Thank You, Susan Bielstein . . . It's a crucial little book
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Comment:
Bielstein manages both to demonstrate how complex the tangle of permissions is and to offer clear direction. Most remarkable, her lively prose transforms a potentially miserable topic into truly enjoyable reading.
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