How times have changed.
Back in the late 60s, Ace Books found a loophole in the copyright for The Lord of the Rings that allowed them to publish an “unauthorized” (i.e. pirated) paperback edition.
Since the only alternative in the U.S. was the much-more-expensive Houghton Mifflin hardback, the Ace edition sold very well.
When Balantine brought out the authorized (and higher-priced) paperback edition, it included, on the cover, Tolkien’s personal request that readers boycott the pirated version.
Readers and authors alike responded by not just boycotting the pirated edition, but Ace Books in general.
As a result, Ace not only agreed to stop printing the pirated edition but, in order to restore its good name, agreed to retroactively pay royalties to Tolkien.
As I said, how times have changed.
Today’s readers, rather than respecting Tolkien’s request, would lionize “Ace.com” as a defender of “information freedom.”
Today’s readers, rather than boycotting Ace, would steal and distribute copies to strangers in order to earn an anonymous “thanks!”.
Today’s readers would flatter themselves that they’re fighting “big media conglomerates” by getting their content on the cheap.
Today’s readers would claim they “never would have paid for the book anyway” so it was okay to read the pirated versions.
Today’s readers would have called Tolkien a “crybaby” for insisting that he get royalties for the decades of work he spent writing the Trilogy.
As I said, how times have changed.
Tolkien must be rolling in his grave.
The big crybaby.
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