~New Users~
Introduction Getting Started Recommendations

~Library~
By Subject By Genre Summaries Series

~Study Aids~
Overview Characters Events Images Teacher's Guide

~Curriculum~
User Guide FAQs

~e-Texts~
E-Readers Self-Publishing Copyright Terms FAQs


Electronic Texts
Frequently Asked Questions



Copyright Status
•  Why aren't the books in the Heritage Libraries protected by copyright?
•  Are the illustrations as well as the text copyright clear?

Reproduction and Usage
•  I am a teacher. May I copy some of these books for my students?
•  May I make copies of the Compact Library books for friends?
•  Since the books are all in the public domain, why can't I copy the whole CD?
•  May I use the images from the Compact Library on my website?

Printing and Binding
•  How can I keep printing costs as low as possible?
•  What is the least expensive way to bind self-published books?

Electronic Readers
•  Which electronic reader do you recommend?
•  My e-reader reads PDF files. Why do I also need EPUB and MOBI versions?

Trouble-shooting
•  What are the system requirements for using the Compact Libraries?
•  When I click on a book title in the browser window, nothing happens!
•  How does one contact Heritage History with questions?

Copyright Status


Why aren't the books in the Heritage Libraries protected by copyright?

As laws currently stand, any book published in the United States before 1923 is considered to be in the "public domain" and can be reproduced without paying a royalty to the copyright holder. Until 1998, American copyright law provided that 75 years after a book was published its contents became the property of the "public domain". In 1998, however, all U.S. Copyrights were extended for another 20 years, meaning that no more books can enter the public domain until 2018. At the time the new law was passed, however, everything published before 1923 was already deemed to be public domain.

Books published after 1923 can also be public domain if the copyright holder failed to renew their copyright, or if the copyright holder explicitly renounced their copyright claim. Heritage History currently concerns itself only with pre-1923 texts. We have pre-1923 copies of each of the books in our collection physically in our possession to avert any potential conflict.


Are the illustrations as well as the text copyright clear?

Yes and no. Whenever a visual image is reproduced, the new image is copyright protected. For example, photographs of great works of art are copyright protected, even if the work itself is hundreds of years old. Any image that was published in a book prior to 1923 can be scanned or re-photographed, but if it is, then the new image is copyright protected. Since Heritage History actually owns original, pre-1923 copies of almost all of our books, we are able to make digital images of the illustrations therein. Those images, however, are the property of Heritage History and are not, themselves, in the public domain.

Since virtually all of the books in our Compact Libraries employ electronic images, they cannot be freely reproduced without the permission of Heritage History. However, Heritage History does in fact grant generous usage and reproduction permission. See the Terms of Use page, for more details.



Reproduction and Usage


I am a teacher. May I copy some of these books for my students?

The Heritage History Compact Libraries were developed especially with educators in mind. Because all of the books on these disks are no longer copyright protected, we are able to grant permission for teachers to print multiple copies of these works for their own needs. This is a unique convenience that is not possible to offer when working with copyrighted materials.

We require, however, that you do not copy the electronic contents of the Heritage Classical Library, and confine yourself to reproducing printable versions of the texts. There is a considerable amount of original content on our CD's, which may not be freely copied or distributed. The conditions and terms of usage of our material can be found here. Please review them before copying or reprinting any of our texts.


May I make copies of Heritage History books for friends?

You may make printed copies of the books and distribute them informally, but you may not redistribute the electronic books themselves. You are also restricted from printing and distributing Heritage books for sale to the general public unless granted written permission by Heritage History. We prohibit the use of our resources for commercial purposes except under certain conditions, which must be negotiated in advance.


Since the books are all in the public domain, why can't I make copies of the whole CD?

The Heritage History Compact Libraries include a considerable amount of original material that we have produced in order to promote these traditional history books, and also a great deal of "public domain" material that we have laboriously scanned, proof-read, and formatted. The entire collection, in this particular format, is therefore under copyright protection. Although we allow and even encourage reproduction of individual books from our collection for personal use, we prohibit the wholesale replication of our electronic library.


May I use the images from a Compact Library on my website?

For copyright information about the usage of Heritage History images, refer to the Terms of Use page. In short, the image directories on our compact libraries are intended to be used for personal and education purposes, such as slide-shows, projects, or illustrating papers. We do not grant usage of our images for commercial or public usage, including the internet, without special permission. We do, however, allow owners of independent websites unlimited rights to "source" the images on www.heritage-history.com—that is, to instantiate an image within html, which references an object in our online libraries. All of the images on the Heritage History website are accessible and we have search tools available to help locate images of interest.



Printing and Binding


How can I keep printing costs as low as possible?

We recommend reading the entire page on Printing and Binding for a complete discussion of the actual costs of printing self-published books. In short, per-page printing costs can vary dramatically depending on the technology used, so if you are considering printing more than a few books yourself, you may want to consider looking into a low-end laser printer, or making arrangements with someone who already has access to a high-performance, low-cost printer.


What is the least expensive way to bind self-published books?

The cheapest and easiest way to bind self-published books is to stick to the three-hole punch method with binding rings. To give the product a more professional look use stiff backing and a clear front cover. Binding rings of various sizes are available for only pennies per ring, and if backing and covers are bought in packages of twenty or more, the complete cost of binding is kept to less than a dollar per book.

If you would like a more professional look you might want to consider investing in a low-cost comb-binder, easily obtainable for less than about $50. Having your book professionally spiral-bound, with a stiff back and front cover provided by the printer will cost you about $4.00. We recommend reading the page on Printing and Binding for a complete discussion of binding options.



Using eBooks


Which e-reader do you recommend?

We do not recommend any specific e-reader at this time. This is because the technology options and pricing of e-readers are changing very quickly so any recommendation we made based on immediate cost/feature evaluations might be quickly out-of-date. We also believe that desirability of various e-reader interfaces is subjective and that interested buyers should evaluate several e-readers in person before making a purchase.

We do however, recommend that users who have not already purchased an e-reader should download free-ereader software in order to evaluate features and get comfortable reading e-books before making a purchase of dedicated hardware. Several e-reader software packages can run on any computer, and can turn any lap-top computer into a relatively heavy and clumsy e-reader. Instructions for downloading the Adobe Reader (which reads PDF files), and the Mobipocket Reader (which reads MOBI files), can be found here.


My e-reader reads PDF files. Why do I also need EPUB and MOBI versions?

It is true that most e-readers can read the text of PDF files. Depending on the particular book however, the PDF conversion sometimes does a poor job with images, captions, verse, and other unusual formatting options. The EPUB and MOBI versions of the books, on the other hand, have been optimized to deal effectively with many formatting irregularities. Since a great many of the books in the Heritage library include interesting illustrations, tables, poems, quoted letters, itemized lists, and a variety of other features, we thought e-reader users would perfer to use versions that preserved as much of the original formating as possible.

Unfortunately, the e-reader market has not yet converged on one, single e-reader format. The MOBI and EPUB formats are very similar, but not identical. We want to provide users of any e-reader with a compatible, ready-to-use format. At this time the easiest way to do this is to simply provide both e-reader formats to all customers, even though most will likely use one or the other. On the other hand, by providing both e-reader formats, Heritage customers can be assured that if they do switch e-reader technology in the future, they will still have access to their entire Heritage library.



System Requirements and Trouble Shooting


What are the system requirements for using the Compact Libraries?

The files on the Compact Libraries are all "data" rather than "program" files. They use software that already exists on most computers in order to display their contents. The "html" folder contains files that run on any internet browser, including Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, Firefox, or Chrome. The "pdf" and "guide" folders contain pdf files that can be read by Adobe Reader, and the "mobi" folder contains files that can be read by the Mobipock reader. Both the Adobe Reader, and various Internet browsers already exist on most computers, and if they do not exist, they can be downloaded for free. The Mobipocket reader is not as well known, but it can also be downloaded for free if it is not already on your computer. Instructions for downloading the Adobe Reader and Mobipocket Reader are available here.


When I click on a book title in the Browser window, nothing happens!

If nothing happens when you click on a book title in the Compact Library Browser environment, it is likely because there is a problem with your Adobe Reader. You may not have the software installed correctly, or you may have an older version that is not compatible with the latest version of your Browser Window. Even if you already have an Adobe Reader, there could be a problem that may be corrected by downloading the latest version. We advise you to exit the Compact Library, re-install Adobe Reader (at http://get.adobe.com/reader), and then reboot your computer. This process should clear up any incompatibility problems between your internet browser and the Adobe Reader.


How does one contact Heritage History with questions?

There are several ways to contact us, all based on the internet. For permission to use any of our resources for commercial or public use, contact us at infodesk@heritage-history.com. If you have a problem with any of our products, or a practical queston about using the Curriculum, use the address customerservice@heritage-history.com. We strive to respond to all customer service questions within 24 hours.



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