Posts by Scott

Welcome Root304 !

HBD GilbertoMoncada !

Welcome Onenski ! Glad to have you here!

Welcome to the forum! This is a very interesting group of people, and a fascinating philosophy. Dig in and enjoy!

Well, this Jeff fellow DOES leave open the door to not requiring a publisher in order to make this happen. UofM Press might just print it themselves. We don't have any interest in making $ off of this venture, we just want the book to exist. But we do need someone to present a proposal for printing off a few copies. I might even try to do that, but do you think Elli, or whoever you have as contacts in Greece, would consider helping out at all? Not to FUND it or anything, just to present their desire and ability to do the translation part. If we don't have anyone willing to actually go after the translation, there is no point working on this!

I received this response from U of Minnesota Press:

On Thursday, May 12th, 2022 at 12:29 PM, Jeffery Moen <moenx017@umn.edu> wrote:

Hello,

Your request has been passed along to me.

Typically, we work directly with the publisher of the translation, but if that doesn’t apply in this case, then I would need more information about what you intend to do with the translation in terms of distribution, sale, and formats (would you produce a hard copy of the translation, and if so, how many copies would be printed and would it be intended for sale, or would distribution be online?).

Please provide more detailed information and your request will be taken into consideration.

All best,

Jeff Moen

Rights and Contracts

University of Minnesota Press

http://www.upress.umn.edu/

From: SLH <SLHenderson@pm.me>
Subject: How can translation permissions be obtained for a book you have published

Date: May 5, 2022 at 11:21:50 PM CDT

To: "ump@umn.edu" <ump@umn.edu>

Reply-To: SLH <SLHenderson@pm.me>

Hello! I'm a member of an online group studying Epicurean philosophy. Certain
members of this group are interested in learning how one would go about
obtaining permission to translate this book into Greek:

Title: Epicurus and His Philosophy

Author: Norman Wentworth Dewitt

ISBN: 9780816662128

"Related ISBN": 9780816657452

(I don't know the difference between these 2 ISBN numbers)

Please let me know of any questions you might have about this. Any assistance greatly appreciated!

Scott Henderson

Tucson, Arizona

********************

Susan Doerr
Associate Director | University of Minnesota Press | upress.umn.edu

612-301-1987 | doer0012@umn.edu

@susanmpls
she, her, hers

University of Minnesota Press Code of Conduct z.umn.edu/umpconduct

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who would be able to respond to the questions posed by Jeffery Moen, in the above email?

-Scott

The rather obvious intent of Derek Walcott in this little poem is to address a particular life situation, but to me the meaning of it is able to easily expand and accommodate the many things that can absorb us and mis- lead us from ourselves and our true happiness. It just jumped out at me that it could be well used by Epicureans, as a comforting narrative on overcoming the ravages of idealist perspectives.

Quote from Cassius

I suspect other languages will just be waiting on the copyright to expire

Very well. See you in 2050 or so. We'll be 91 then.

Well we'll see if a 2nd hit produces any different result. We would probably have a better standing if we had a Greek publishing entity to work with. Cassius any suggestions on that? Who are our Greek friends that might work on this part of the equation?

ABC Clio directed me to University of Minnesota Pres for help with how to go about getting rights to translate this work. But they also said usually it is a publisher who requests this. Elli and/or Haris Dimitriadis and/or other Epicureans in Greece might want to try to engage some publisher there who might be willing to help out?

Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. reprinted the book in 1976 and is listed (in the Copyright Clearance Center and elsewhere) as one of two listed publishers of the book, along with University of Minnesota Press, who of course did the original printing.

Greenwood's parent company is ABC Clio. Contact info listed for them on their web page:

CustomerService@ABC-Clio.com

ABC-Clio

147 Castillion Drive

Santa Barbara CA 93117

800-368-6868 or 805-968-1911 (open 7-4:30 Pacific)

I'm emailing ABC-Clio to see if they can tell me if and how one might obtain permission to translate.

OK first, confirmation of what Joshua said, Dewitt being the claimant for the 1981 renewal:

Quote from Joshua

Dewitt is listed as the copyright claimant. As he died in 1958, and his Classicist son died in 1981 [edit: 1966], it is not immediately clear who filed the renewal notice.

...from the US copyright office:

------- Original Message -------

On Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022 at 7:50 PM, <no-reply@loc.gov> wrote:

> Type of Work: Text

>

> Registration Number / Date:

> RE0000141545 / 1982-11-01

> Renewal registration for: A00000127469 / 1954-02-15

>

> Title: Epicurus and his philosophy. By Norman Wentworth DeWitt.

>

> Copyright Claimant:

> Norman W. DeWitt (C)

>

> Variant title: Epicurus and his philosophy.

>

> Names: DeWitt, Norman Wentworth

> DeWitt, Norman W.

>

>

> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

> The Library of Congress

> United States Copyright Office

> 101 Independence Ave., S.E.

> Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

> 202-707-3000

My wife is very familiar with digging up the copyright details on a work. She has expressed willingness to go after this. I'll keep you posted

Welcome reneliza ! Always glad to have new peeps join us! Much interesting stuff here, just have a look around! You will encounter very knowledgeable scholarly folks, and people more like me - just beginners, learning the basics. It is a most enjoyable philosophy to study. See you around!

Scott

my wife has some background in copyright. I'll ask her if she might be able to help

Ha! What a cool gazebo/ramada/whatever thingy!

(I actually thought it was a joke you were pulling that you click on the "Dance Improvisation" link and it pops up with "There's Nothing Here!")

Quote from Cassius

great work on your blog Kalosyni!

I had no idea you did a blog, Kalosyni. I must say your Dance Improvisation really activates the imagination!!!!!

Welcome, DailyEpicurus !

Welcome, @Modecs ! Glad to have you here. I hope you enjoy learning about this most interesting and insightful philosophy, and sharing your thoughts with a really super group of folks!

Scott

I get what you mean, Eikadistes . It's a bit flowery. Too bad the lead singer seems to have had a cold at the time of recording. But anyway, a sweet little go-to-sleep kind of tune. Probably more effective than ASMR, although some in the EF will criticize such an emphasis on Tranquility.

In case there is any difficulty understanding the words, here they are below. Obviously the Epicurean point is "what is good is easy to obtain" ...or maybe "life is a cabaret!" ? ...or is it perhaps something completely else, like "Trying to enjoy life is ultimately A TOTAL WASTE OF F***ING TIME!!!".

I'm betting Joshua can interpret it. Uplifting stuff in any case:

The Gods of Epicurus, lyrics

“I am born from one-sided sacrifice

I am born from miscommunication

Piece me together from your broken spirits

Only to receive a whole less than its parts.”

As the Law commands you, “Enjoy,” the Commodity demands:

“Piece me together, exhaust your spirit

Pour it into me, expect nothing back

My blood is a failing comparison

And I can't save you from this hell you're in

I dwell in the pores of the merely existing

While you're sadly subsisting in its reflection

I am not a happy consciousness. I am not alive

Sell your soul for my being’s sake

Your condition will become my existing.”

Fetishized fragments of life promise nothing

They voicelessly respond, “I am your death

“I return nothing compared to what you sacrifice

I am unrequited love, I am less than my parts

Reflect back at a loss, turn yourself into stone for me.”

A desire born from the void

Between your mind and its Being

Its demand is silently screaming

“I’ll take you down with me

I’ll take you down to behold

Behold the spectacle of imaginary life

I become myth, myth becomes life

Life becomes being-towards-death.”