"Publishers seem unwilling to sell their books on Amazon for more than a few years after their initial publication. The data suggest that publishing business models make books disappear fairly shortly after their publication and long before they are scheduled to fall into the public domain. Copyright law then deters their reappearance as long as they are owned." -- Paul J. Heald, quoted in "The Hole in Our Collective Memory: How Copyright Made Mid-Century Books Vanish" by Rebecca J. Rosen The Atlantic, 2013-07-30
"Copyright advocates have long (and successfully) argued that keeping books copyrighted assures that owners can make a profit off their intellectual property, and that that profit incentive will "assure [the books'] availability and adequate distribution." The evidence, it appears, says otherwise." -- Rebecca J. Rosen, in the same article.
To my friends celebrating Yom Kippur tonight/tomorrow, may you be sealed for a good year in the book of life.