For the Encouragement of Learning: The Origins of Canadian Copyright Law

"For the Encouragement of Learning examines the nineteenth-century origins of Canadian copyright. Its evidence-based approach grounded in book history brings a new richness to our understanding of copyright in this period, shedding light on the origins and objectives of early copyright law. This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to have a true understanding of copyright in Canada."

Sara J. Bannerman, Canada Research Chair in Communication Policy and Governance, McMaster University, and author of The Struggle for Canadian Copyright

"For the Encouragement of Learning is an essential text for fully understanding the origins and development of copyright law in Canada. By grounding her insights in deeply researched historical contexts – colonial and Anglo-American copyright, educational and cultural trends, resistance to British copyright laws, the reading needs of French Canadians, to name but a few – Myra Tawfik has given us a landmark study for assessing Canadian copyright law’s past, present, and future."

Robert Spoo, Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law and Professor of English, University of Tulsa

"Painstakingly researched and meticulously written, Myra Tawfik’s book provides a sweeping picture of early Canadian copyright history while dropping delicious anecdotes. Vast amounts of information are put together and transformed for the reader to experience an easy storytelling of Canadian copyright law within general Canadian history. It is the pre-Confederation copyright history book that was missing in Canada."

Ysolde Gendreau, Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal