George Haven Putnam 
Authors and Their Public in Ancient Times (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

In this 1894 work a great American publisher casts his eye on how writers, from the dawn of history to the fall of the Roman Empire, got by. He discusses the way in which those who produce books interacted with their public, and the evolution of the idea of literary property and compensation in Greece, Alexandria, and elsewhere.

About the author

George Haven Putnam (1844-1930) was the son of publisher George Palmer Putnam. He abandoned his studies in Germany to serve with the Union Army in the Civil War. His books include Memories of My Youth (1914), Memories of a Publisher (1915), Some Memories of the Civil War (1924), and the children’s books The Artificial Mother (1894) and The Little Gingerbread Man (1910).