(5) This printing history provides important evidence of how Les Miserables was actually purchased and read by readers and reveals how publishers responded to the legal restrictions imposed by the different copyright regimes in Britain and the United States. Drawing on the emerging field of the history of the book, (4) it pays close attention to the physical embodiments of the translated texts, considering distinguishing details of individual imprints, such as typography, printing, and binding. This Article explores the early history of Les Miserables in England and the United States, focusing on English-language translations that were published from 1862 to 1882. Hundreds of law review articles and scores of judicial opinions quote passages from the novel or refer to familiar characters or events in it. Hugo's critique of the injustice wrought by legal institutions has appealed with particular force to judges, lawyers, and members of the legal academy. (1) It has reached generations of English language readers through five separate translations (2) and found vast new audiences through abridgements, sequels, stage adaptations, comic books, films, and musicals. BATTLE OF THE BOOKS EPILOGUE APPENDIXĪfter 150 years, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables (1862) still ranks as one of the great hits in publishing history. Defects of the 'Authorized Translation' E.

Lascelles Wraxall and the 'Authorized English Translation' C. COPYRIGHT PROTECTION OF LITERARY TRANSLATION IN ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES A.

Les miserables 1862