"Fair Use" and Questions of Copyright -Reply

[KAREN SCHNEIDER]

Concur that the Chicago Manual of Style is the sine qua non of
style (if not a legal guide).  In this light, see page 146: "Fair use is
use that is fair--simply that. ... Use of any literary work in its
entirety--a poem, an essay, a chapter of a book--is hardly ever
acceptable."  The Manual provides examples and guidelines for
how much of a work can be quoted before you exceed fair use,
and emphasizes proportion.  (In other words, if the Manual were
a haiku, and not a 900-plus page book, I would already be out of
bounds.)

Note that the Manual of Style also advises, "Authors invoking fair
use should transcribe accurately" which also means "they should
not quote out of context, making the author of the quoted passage
seem to be saying something opposite to, or different from, what
was intended" (p. 146).  This applies as well, of course, to the
Manual itself.

Karen G. Schneider/schneider.karen at epamail.epa.gov
Contractor, GCI/Director, US EPA Region 2 Library
http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/